A little bit of Hell
by mikim
Summary: Jareth saves Sarah from a car accident by bringing her to the Underground. He'll accept her thanks and send her back Aboveground only if she remains with him in the Labyrinth for a full year! What does our Goblin King has in that twisted mind of his?fini
1. The Deal

All right, guys, I don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters here. I need to precise you that I've never seen the movie but I fell in love with it because of the wonderful stories stored at FF.net 

The song doesn't belong to me either… I don't know who wrote this but it fitted Jareth so much in my eyes that I couldn't get away without writing this story…BTW, if anyone knows who wrote this, please drop me a line. I found this on wallpaper drawn by a Muraki/Tsuzuki fan. 

And despite the title of this fic, this WILL NOT be a dark fic! I love the Jareth/Sarah pairing too much to write anything angst! 

_Tell me exactly what I am supposed to do.  
Now that I have allowed you to beat me  
Do you think that we could play another game?  
Maybe I could win this time…_

_I kind of like the misery you put me through.  
Darlin' you can trust me completely,  
If you even try to look the other way,  
I think I could kill this time._

_It doesn't really seem I'm getting through to you.  
Though I see you weeping so sweetly.  
I think that you might have to take another taste  
A little bit of Hell this time…_

. A little bit of Hell.

Chapter 1. The deal.

Sarah awoke at the unnerving feeling of being watched. Upset, and not really emerging from the tender arms of sleep, she tossed around in her bed, grumbling a little. But by doing so, her face became exposed to the shiny light of the sun peering by her window. Sarah groaned even more. Sleep was definitely eluding her. Her eyes fluttered open and Sarah yawned heavily. She sat up in her bed and stretched. 

She glanced at her alarm clock and realized that she had woken up few minutes before it would ring. Sighing, she fell back in her bed and gazed at her ceiling.

Like every morning, the alarm clock turned the radio on and Sarah got out of her bad, going to the bathroom, humming under her breath the song that was playing, the feeling that had pulled her out of sleep forgotten.

Getting out of her bathroom, a towel wrapped closely around her body, another around her damp hair, Sarah took a look at her bedroom: it was a big room, where in its middle was a four-poster king size bed. She smiled at the memory of her father, grunting on her bed when he and some other male friends of hers had to bring it in her room when she first moved in. On her white walls were hung pictures of herself and her little brother, some of herself and some friends, some of her family altogether… Her family: little Toby, her father and Karen. Sarah sighed and went to her closet to retrieve some clothes for her day. Still drying her long black hair and fully clothed in a pair of faded blue jeans with a gray tank top, Sarah stepped out of her room and went to her kitchen to have some breakfast. 

Her kitchen was a rather modern one, with a table in its middle, and her living room directly led to it, as there was no door separating the two rooms. Her living room was full of light since she was lucky enough to have an apartment with a huge balcony. In one of the corner of the living room, however, where the sun could never really hit, was a desk, on which a computer laid. Around her desk, the shelves threatened to crumble under the weight of the books rested on them.

Content, Sarah smiled, a bowl of cereals and a coffee in preparation, she turned her computer on. 

Her mailbox was full and she grimaced as most of her mails came from her publisher. Sighing and shaking her head at the man frantic mails, she was sure without even opening them that most of them were telling her basically the same thing in rather colorful terms: where was the book she promised him? Sure thing, she was a talented writer and her publisher surely had cold sweat whenever he heard about one of his competitor tried to approach her, which happened quite a lot. 

Sarah had started writing during her high school years, more and more drifting to writing the pieces she and her club set up than play them. Oh, she still liked acting but she experienced another thrill as her characters, those born from her imagination, walked, talked, yelled, cried, loved under the masks of the actors of the acting troop. In fact, she had started writing after Him… Sarah let her mind wander in the past and memories. Shaking her head, she pushed the difficult memories far away and concentrated on her new novel. 

A few hours, or maybe minutes after, Sarah didn't know, the phone next to her computer rang. Focused on her work, Sarah let the answering machine pick up the call.

After her announcing message, Sarah heard the cherry voice of her little brother, attracting her attention.

"Sarah! It's Toby! Too bad, you're not home but I phone you because I wanted to be the one to tell you." Sarah frowned a little, her curiosity picked by the happy tone and the news that Toby wanted to tell her. "We're going to have a little brother!!!!" Sarah heard a soft female whisper from behind Toby's voice. Surely Karen. "A sister? Aw, Muuuuum!  Girls aren't fun!" Sarah chuckled and quietly picked up the phone, startling the ten-years old boy.

"So, I'm boring you? Then I don't think that this new play station I bought you for…"

"Sarah! I knew you were home! We're going to have a little brother!" Toby yelled happily, cutting her sister.

"Ew, kiddo, no need to tear up my eardrums!" Sarah cried out softly, chuckling. Sarah heard Karen ask for the phone and shortly after, she could hear the older woman's voice.

"Morning, Sarah."

"Karen! Congratulations!"

"Hum, thanks. Toby was so excited that he didn't want to wait for this week-end." Karen chuckled on the phone. Sarah smiled and the women started to chat about the future baby.

After a good half an hour of excited talk, Karen had to hang up because she needed to drive Toby to school. Sarah put the receiver down and stared at it, smiling, not really believing the news she had just been given. Karen and her had been through a lot to reach the point where they now stood: not exactly mother and daughter but definitely closer than the first years that had followed her father's remarriage. Over the years, Sarah had learned to appreciate Karen and let her coming closer to her. Karen had been, surprisingly enough for Sarah at the beginning, the most fiercely opposed at Sarah's decision to leave her father house.

Smiling at the memory, she remembered how Karen's face had looked so down as Sarah threw her little bombshell during dinner. Karen had fled the table, much to Sarah's surprise, tears in her eyes, and it had taken a good yell on how insensitive she was from her father to understand: Karen had thought that Sarah was leaving because she still despised her step-mother.  After reassuring her step-mother that it wasn't because of her that Sarah wanted her independence but rather because she needed it, Karen had helped her a lot to settle things, moving in, but only after she had extracted the promise from a laughing Sarah that she would come back home at least on three week-ends on four.

Sarah shook her head and turned back to her computer, but she was still too excited on having another sibling that she couldn't concentrate anymore… She leaned back in her leather chair and dropped her glasses on her desk. Because she worked a lot on the computer, she had to wear glasses. Sarah smiled and went to her bedroom after turning the computer off and took a jacket from her closet: she going out to buy a gift for the baby. She was so excited. Maybe, she could phone her publisher, complaining about a flu, and then telling him she was off at her parents tonight, so that she could start shopping for babies necessities with Karen on Friday. 

After a quick call at her publisher office, she took her keys and went outside. As she walked down a street, she passed a car, in which the radio was playing loudly but Sarah didn't mind, as it was one of her favorite songs.

Absorbed by the song, Sarah never noticed the owl, following her since her apartment.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Singing the song under her breath, looking in shops windows, enjoying herself, Sarah didn't see the car coming far too fast to stop in time when she crossed the road at the pedestrian passage. 

Just like they say in movies, the world slowed down as Sarah rotten to the ground watched in disbelief the car about to hit her, the driver horrified face, the sounds around her stopped and all she could hear was the song, playing earlier in a car she had walked by… What was that song again? Oh, yeah, 

Every breath you take  
Every move you make  
Every bond you break  
Every steps you take,  
I'll be watching you….

Sarah blinked and time flowed in at an accelerated speed: someone jumped between herself and the car, just before it could send her crashing away. Someone she knew, someone she had banished from her girlish fantasies, someone she tried not to think too much about, but always present in her life. As she saw him there, between her certain death and herself, she thought that it might be her own mind playing tricks at her. 

Jareth.

Every single day  
Every words you say  
Every games you play  
Every night you sleep,  
I'll be watching you 

At least, Sarah thought, I'm happy to see his face a last time before dying. 

She felt herself being pulled in the infinite darkness lying at her feet and the world went dark.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Whispers pulled her from her peaceful slumber in the warm bed… Slumber? But what about the car? 

Sarah sat up abruptly, eyes wide, she looked around her, eyes widening even more as she drank in the sight before her: she was in a huge bedroom, lying in a four-poster bed, with red curtains hanging around the bed, shielding her from the light coming from the window on her left, but what attracted her attention, what froze her heart, what pinned her in bed was a man in his early thirties, with mismatched eyes, wearing a white poet shirt, opened in the front under a black vest, with tight black pants and high black boots, his wild fair hair and that all-know-it-all sexy smirk. The Goblin King stood at the foot of the bed, hands on hips, looking at her.

"Jareth…" Sarah couldn't believe her eyes… No, this couldn't be… 

Jareth's grin widened. "Glad that you remember me, Sarah." 

"But, the car…" she spluttered. 

The Goblin King shook his head "Ah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, you should pay attention when crossing one of your roads of Aboveground. It seems quite dangerous, I must say."

He brought me back to the Underground… The Underground… The Labyrinth… His Labyrinth… 

Sarah felt her head whirl under the shock, and then anger took the best in her.

"WHY IN THE SEVEN HELLS DID YOU DARE TO BRING ME HERE? YOU STUPID…"

Jareth suddenly vanished and reappeared on the bed, kneeling in front her, face inches from hers. He held up a finger and waved it under her nose as if she was a little child. "Tssk, tssk, you should watch you tongue. After all, I saved your life, didn't I?" He rested his gloved finger on her nose and all she could do was watch, throat dry, indeed, he did save her and she was yelling at him. Jareth smirked at her. "Ungrateful child… Ah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah… I must say, however that I missed that fiery temper of yours." 

Sarah, too shocked of having him so near to her, flushed deep crimson. She remembered her childhood fantasies on the man after that night. She didn't know how often she had dreamt that he, Jareth, the Goblin King had taken her in his strong arms and had kissed her senseless and more. And now, having him almost sitting in her lap, she couldn't help but remember her dreams. Jareth, reading her thoughts, chuckled softly and leaned closer to her.

"Is that what you want me to do, lovely Sarah?" He whispered huskily. 

Sarah couldn't tear her eyes from his lips. "I… I… I don't know what you…"

Jareth ran one of his gloved hand up her arm "Really, my dear?" he whispered. Sarah's breath caught in her throat as she felt his hand being placed being her neck. 

"Ja…" Sarah tried hard to regain control of her racing heart, heart that she was sure he could hear.

"Hmm?" His other arm wrapped itself around her waist, bringing her closer if it was possible without touching her lips. 

He's tempting me! 

Jareth chuckled again, melting her.

"Of course, my dear."

Somehow, Sarah took her heart in check again and put her hands on the Goblin King chest, trying to push him away as she turned her head on the side. Flustered, Sarah spoke without looking at him.

"Stop reading my thoughts!" 

Jareth reluctantly let her go and sat, disappointed, on his heels. Sarah, still not looking at him, put a hand behind her to steady herself, her black hair falling like a curtain around her face. Jareth couldn't help but push her hair aside. Startled by his touch, Sarah turned to face him.

And Jareth kissed her. Longing and desire flared up in his touch and eyes as soon as his lips touched her. At first, he had intended to give her a tender kiss, but her smell infatuated him, making him crazy, the feel of her made him ache in a way he hadn't felt for a long time, ten years to be precise, since she left him. 

Sarah's mind went in a spiral as Jareth's mouth roared on hers and she couldn't help but close her eyes. No, this wasn't a kiss. She thought to herself. A kiss was too… tame to be compared to what Jareth was doing to her.

Jareth's arms wounded around her, crashing her on his chest but never breaking the kiss. Sarah didn't mind though.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Reality kicked in Jareth's brain, making him remember where exactly he was and why he had brought her here, so as suddenly as he had began the kiss, he stopped it. He looked down at Sarah's face, still turned in his direction, eyes closed, cheeks flushed, lips red from his kissing and he was struck like never before by her beauty

Sarah opened her eyes slowly to find Jareth gazing almost lovingly down at her. Lovingly… Humph! As if it was possible. Pushing him violently away from her, Sarah let her anger explode.

"HOW DARE YOU? YOU ARROGANT, SELFISH, BASTARD!!!!" 

Jareth fell heavily on his butt and looked at her in disbelief…  What the hell? 

Sarah grabbed a pillow and started to hit the Goblin King, not really knowing why though.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? SEND ME BACK! HEAR ME JARETH? SEND.ME.BACK."

Jareth gave a start as the pillow hit him for the first time, than it angered him. He snatched Sarah's "weapon" from her hand and pushed her down in the bed, pinning her down with all his weight. Sarah fought under him and Jareth had to grab her wrists to prevent her from scratching his face.

"Now, Sarah." Jareth snarled in her ear. "You will stop this nonsense this instant!" 

At the rage contained in his voice, Sarah went still. All she needed now was an upset Goblin King in her hands.

"You still behave like a child, even if ten years have passed! Now, I've just saved your life and it's how I'm rewarded! Looks like your time in the Labyrinth didn't teach many things!"

Sarah froze. That's true he saved my life and I was screaming at him. I didn't even say thank you once to him.

Ashamed, Sarah looked away and muttered:

"Jareth… I… Thank you for saving my life and I'm sorry, I truly am. Please forgive me?"

The wheels in Jareth's mind started to turn in a devilish way.

"At one condition."

"What? Jareth… I don't…" Jareth put a finger on her lips.

"You asked me to forgive you. At one condition."

Sarah stared at him. Now, what the crazy man up to?

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, still not trusting me after that I saved your life? I'm hurt…"

Sarah swallowed hard. "All right… But the condition has nothing to do with my body!" She added hastily as she saw Jareth's eyes lit up. Jareth, still lying on top of her, pouted like a child and leaned to take her earlobe in his mouth, making her take a sharp breath.

"Very well…then you shall stay here with me, for a whole year!" 

Aah! Here you go guys, here the first chapter of my first Labyrinth fic! Please review!

Mikim


	2. Your life belongs to me

Qe Too: … You're scaring me… I hope you won't grow sick of this story!  Ah, I wrote the 1st chapter in few hours so there were a lot of grammatical mistakes and typing ones too, please, forgive me! BTW, I also wanted to tell you that English is not my mother-tongue so if my verbs tense aren't right, please drop me a little line (please, don't flame me! It's quite depressing!) Thanks mikim.

Chapter II. Your life belongs to me.

Sarah blinked once, twice before what Jareth had just said, made sense. 

"WHAAAAAAAT???" 

Since Jareth was nibbling her ear, he got her full scream right in the ear. 

"AaaaaaH… Sarah, please…" He whined, holding his head, still lying on top of her. 

"Get off me!" Sarah yelled again, pushing the Goblin King aside. She rolled on her side and kneeled in the bad, facing lying Jareth on his side. Sarah was panting hard, face red, not really believing what Jareth had asked her to do. How could that man ask her that? He was supposed to hate her, after all. 

Jareth, leaning on an elbow, titled his head on the side and looked thoughtfully at her. 

"I never hated you, Sarah."

Taken aback, Sarah stared at Jareth, speechless.

"Here's the deal, Sarah, you stay here with me for a full year and then you'll be free from your debt."

Sarah shook her head, to clear her mind. She would find some time later to actually find out what the King's statement could mean, for her and for him. 

"But…" she spluttered. "What about… what about my family and… and my work?"

"Well" Jareth started, turning on his back, gazing at the ceiling. "You could write your stories here, and for your family do like always. I mean, going over only on the week-ends." 

Sarah's mind started to whirl trying to find some arguments to talk him out of that crazy idea of his… But, she had to admit that she didn't have anymore. Apart from her family and work, she didn't have many friends and since she worked at home, it wouldn't be like she was going to miss to her colleagues. Then something hit her.

"Jareth" she started in a low and menacing voice, "how did you know about what I'm doing for work and when I go over my parent's?" Jareth only smiled back at her, knowing all too well what would happen. "YOU! LITTLE TOAD! HOW DARE YOU TO SPY ON ME?" 

"Little toad?" Jareth repeated. "I'll show you what kind of toad I am!" He snarled, grabbing her arms and made her fall again in the bed.

"Jareth!!!" She angrily cried out and fought him again. She tried to kick him and in the tangle of limbs and screams that they had become, Sarah watched in disbelief as one of her feet made its way towards Jareth's head. Just in time, Jareth grabbed her ankle and stared at her leg. She was lying on her back, with Jareth kneeling above her between her legs, she was still wearing her jeans and during their "fight" her tank top had a little got up, revealing her flat stomach. Jareth's eyes traveled down her leg to her face and when she met his gaze, it was heated but angry too. Jareth leaned again to stand inches to her face, still holding her ankle, her knee resting against his shoulder, and snarled:

"Like it or not, Sarah, you will stay here for a whole year or else your life will be mine." At Sarah's shocked face, Jareth smiled arrogantly. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah… I saved your life! It belongs to me. Now, if you would excuse, I still have a kingdom to run." With that, Jareth purely and simply vanished in thin air leaving a startled Sarah.

:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:

Jareth reappeared in his study, rather content of himself. It was a big room, at the top of the higher tower of his castle, with no door, so the only way to come in was to appear by magic. His study was full of light since there were huge windows that let the sun peer in. In the middle of it, was a big round table and against the only wall without windows rested a huge bookcase, full of books of every sizes, every colors some old, some ancient, some new. In the middle of the bookcase, there was a small chest with some wine and glasses in it. A large and old red couch was under the windows. Jareth conjured a crystal and peered in to take a look at Sarah, when a male voice behind him stated:

"You won't make her fall in love with you if you force her to stay here, you know." 

Jareth sighed and turned around, frowning in annoyance. "Gal… "

"Hello, little brother, nice to see you too!" The other male replied, cheerfully. It was a tall man, with black hair falling on his blue-gray eyes, dressed much like Jareth but instead a white poet shirt, he wore a plain shirt. Jareth rolled his eyes and said:

"You know I hate when you do that."

"Do what?" the other man answered innocently, putting the book he held on the table.

"Galion." Jareth looked at the older man menacingly. Galion was his best friend and since they grew up together, he also was the only being in the Underground but also in the Aboveground that Jareth couldn't predict where he was and Galion knew it. For some times in their younger days, Galion used to pop out of nowhere just to play tricks on Jareth and since Jareth couldn't tell where Galion could be, Galion used to find it funny.

Galion smiled and walked to Jareth. "So, show me your Lady Sarah you babbled so much about."

"I don't…" Jareth started but he stopped in mid-sentence, rolling his eyes heavenward again and handing him the crystal.

"She's cute." Galion watched Sarah, sitting at the windowsill, gazing outside, lost in her thoughts. "But, Jar…"

"I know." Jareth cut Galion, looking away.

Galion looked sadly at Jareth. He remembered the boy so full of life that he used to run around with, the one that would scare away every single nannie his father would try to hire till Celia. "Then, why, Jar? Why inflict yourself so much pain? You know that eventually she would go back."  

Jareth sighed and looked back at his "elder brother", taking the crystal from him. He walked away, looking in it, drinking in Sarah's sight.

"Watching her…is not enough… not anymore." Jareth stopped and turned around to face his friend, his voice low and sounded almost defeated. 

Galion's eyes saddened, his smile gone. "Jareth…" 

Suddenly, Jareth looked up from the crystal, meeting the other man's gaze, livening up. "I know she still thinks of me! I read her stories and I'm in her every work." His voice filled up with some fire and his gaze lit up. "I feel it when she dreams of me, when she thinks of me! Gal! I'm always with her, but… But…" Unable to go on, Jareth sat heavily on the table where Galion had put his book. Galion sat too on the table, next to Jareth and looked out, by the windows. 

"You got it bad, don't you?"

"You can say so…"

"Jareth, how do you know that she might one day love you back?"

"I wanted to know what kind of stories she was writing so I got myself one of her books. When I first read it, I couldn't believe it: I was in and I was the villain that the main girl fell in love with. I got mad and I read another, thinking that maybe it was just a coincidence. But I was in the other too, and in the one after and in the one she just got released. And in the one she's writing." 

"How do you know it's you?"

"On the back of the book, it was written that it had become her trade mark: in her every book, there is a man with mismatched eyes, who belongs to nobility, an arrogant man with quite a temper."

"Hum… Yes, I guess that it can only be you."

"Well, thank you." Jareth bitterly bit back. "But, it's what tells me that she still thinks of me, that she might love me."

"What if she says no, Jareth? Would you force her to stay? Indeed, her life belongs to you by our laws, but would you Jareth?"

Jareth avoided Galion's eyes. "Of course, no. I'm not a monster. But, I don't think I could survive like this" he said, showing himself, "if she says no."

"And what would happen if after a year, she doesn't love you and wants to go back?"

A moment passed before Jareth finally answered. "I hope that I could go on with the memories."

"Live in the past? My, Jareth, I've never seen you like that! I mean, you truly were a wreck when she left you for the first time, but as you pointed out yourself, she was too young to accept what you were offering her at that time, but now… It's incredible the power she has over you… Jareth, as a friend and one of the War Lords under your command, I want you to either make her your queen either hide her in a hole in the Aboveground, because if this news spread out, she would be in a great danger. A wonderful bait for your enemies!"

"As if I didn't know that already!" Jareth angrily stood up and turned around, marching all around the room Galion's eyes following him. "Don't you think I'm a fool and didn't think about the consequences on having her here? I may be in love with her, Galion, I'm not stupid!" 

Galion stared at his friend, the one he considered as his little brother, and smiled sadly. 

"Ah, Jareth. You always such a temper. But I'll help."

Jareth stopped hiking around and angrily snapped. "Help what, Galion?" 

"Jar, the Lady is more than confused: you took away her brother, made her walk through that damn labyrinth game of yours and made her refuse her dreams."

"I offered her…"

"Jareth." Galion cut him. "I would have done the same, was I in her position. And, seriously, do you think you would have fallen in love with her if she had chosen you instead of her baby brother?"

Jareth didn't answer and Galion kept on, talking softly.

"Your father took me in when mine passed away and you and I grow up together like brothers. Knowing that his end was coming, your father gave me back the title of my father, as one of the War Lords, protector of the Underground and you became the Goblin King, soon after. I swore to protect the Underground and I made your father the promise to look after you. Jar, I know you better than anyone else in the Underground, I've seen you playing around, making a fool of yourself, losing your temper an incredible number of times, kicking those of goblins of yours away, threatening, blackmailing thousands of people, having numbers of lovers but I've never seen someone with that much power over you." Galion chuckled softly. "In fact, I've always thought that you'd never know love."

Jareth's shoulders dropped and he peered in the crystal again: Sarah was still sitting on the windowsill, knees drawn under her chin, looking outside, hair falling all around her like a blanket.

"Jareth, talk to her, without fighting, please, take her outside and show her the Underground, not only the Labyrinth but all that she didn't have the chance to see the first time she came here. Allow her to have other memories, some happier than the ones she certainly has from her first visit."

Jareth looked up from the crystal and stared in Galion's eyes, sadness floated in the blue-gray orbs, happiness, love, affection, bittersweet memories of a lost love.

"Emerald was a lucking woman to have you." Galion quickly looked away, a sad smile playing on his lips.

"No. I was the one lucky."

"Gal."

"Anyway, I just came to tell you your goddaughter wishes to see you soon. No, in fact, she's breaking her brother's and mine's ears about you, so I came to beg you, oh mighty Goblin King, to come and see that little scoundrel." Galion's eyes were flickering with laughter and mischief and Jareth couldn't help but smile. His smile widened when an outraged, girlish, little voice resonated in the room.

"DAADDY!!!! Whom are you talking about ?!?!?!?!?!"

"Calandra! Would you please lower your voice level, please, for the sake of your beloved uncle Jareth and mine? And when are you going to learn to behave, young lady? You know you shouldn't eavesdropping on adult conversation! Nor that you have the right to come in and scream!" Galion said irritably, looking at nothing in particular.

"Sorry, dad." Another a male voice said. "I tried to stop her, but you know her, when she's got something in mind…" Galion sighed. His children were growing way too fast for him. Their powers were really powerful and without Jareth to cover them up, Galion knew they would have been in deeper troubles that what they could experience now. Calandra and her twin brother had the ability to "listen" to their loved ones conversation as if they were in the same room but not miles away. 

"It's alright, Nathan, in fact, I think that it actually served our cause, didn't it, Jareth?"

"Did it, Uncle Jar?" The young boy inquired.

"Yes. I'll come."

"YEAH!" Calandra cried out happily and Jareth didn't have any difficulty to picture his niece turning on herself in glee. "Oh, Uncle Jar, you ought to bring your wife along! Bye!" Calandra suddenly added before withdrawing from the conversation, hers and her brother's presence disappearing from Jareth senses.

"Wife? CALANDRA! Come back right now!" Galion burst in laughter at Jareth outraged face. When the Goblin King had calmed down a little and that his face had lost some of its red color, Galion told him:

"You know, Calandra had a good idea, actually. It would show her your other face."

Galion smiled a last time before vanishing from the room. Jareth collapsed on the couch and held up the crystal again to look in it.

"Gal." He whispered, watching Sarah. "Thank you."

His mind and feelings clear, the Goblin King went out for the hunt, for Sarah's heart.

*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Sarah watched in disbelief the ceiling above her: few seconds before there was a man, there, the Goblin King holding her ankle as if his life depended on and now… Nothing. 

Sarah sighed and rolled on her belly, arms outstretched, staring at nothing in particular. 

Jareth…she thought. You're confusing me. 

"I never hated you, Sarah."

This had been for the longest time in her life the safer ground ever, the only unmistakable truth. She defeated him, the mighty Goblin King, she denied him, she refused to give herself to him, she… How could he not hate her? 

Sarah let her gaze wander on the room: it was a room like those she dreamt about, a room for a princess. The place was spacious and shiny, a vanity and curtains rested against the wall in front of her, the walls were rather pinkish but it was cute, actually. The light from the window on the left side of the bed attracted her. Sarah got up from the bed and walked to the window, looking outside: she could see a forest and of course, the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth… It held so many memories, some painful and some happy. Yes, she had happy memories from the Labyrinth: Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus… 

Tired, Sarah sat on the windowsill, drawing her knees under her chin and kept at looking outside. Minutes or maybe hours flew away but Sarah didn't care, she just kept on staring at the Labyrinth without really seeing it…  

Sarah ran a nervous hand in her hair.

"Damn. Impossible man! Now, what am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to do?"

"Jareth…" she whispered. "What do you want from me?"

_____________________________________________

I've just decided to be evil for a while and let it end that way for now! grin! Now, people there is a plot! I swear and it is going somewhere and yes I know where! Ah, about Galion, Calandra and Nathan: these three are mine. Their little family will be explained in more details in the next part, sorry if it's confusing right now…


	3. I dreamt that we could fall in love

Chapter III. I dreamt that we could fall in love…

Rêver

D'avoir mis son âme dans tes mains  
Tu l'as froissé comme un chagrin  
Et d'avoir condamné vos différences    
Nous ne marcherons plus ensemble

Sa vie ne bat plus que d'une aile    
Dansent les flammes, les bras se lèvent  
Là où il va il fait un froid mortel  
Si l'homme ne change de ciel pourtant, j'ai rêvé

J'ai rêvé qu'on pouvait s'aimer  
Au souffle du vent    
S'élevait l'âme, l'humanité  
Son manteau de sang  
J'irai cracher sur vos tombeaux  
N'est pas le vrai, n'est pas le beau  
J'ai rêvé qu'on pouvait s'aimer

A quoi bon abattre des murs   
Pour y dresser des sépultures  
A force d'ignorer la tolérance  
Nous ne marcherons plus ensemble  
  


Les anges sont las de nous veiller  
Nous laissent comme un monde avorté  
Suspendu pour l'éternité  
Le monde comme une pendule  
Qui s'est arrêtée  
  


J'ai rêvé qu'on pouvait s'aimer  
Au souffle du vent  
S'élevait l'âme, l'humanité  
Son manteau de sang  
J'irai cracher sur vos tombeaux  
N'est pas le vrai, n'est pas le beau  
J'ai rêvé qu'on pouvait s'aimer  
  


{Refrain x2}

J'ai rêvé qu'on pouvait s'aimer   
J'avais rêvé du mot AIMER

To dream

To have put the soul in your hands  
You offended it as a sorrow  
And to have condemned your differences  
We shall not walk work any more together

Its life does not beat more than of a wing   
Dance flames, arms get up  
There where it goes it does a mortal cold  
If the man does not change of skies nevertheless, I dreamt

I dreamt that we could fall in love  
In the breath of the wind  
Rose the soul, the humanity  
Its coat of blood  
I shall go to spit at your graves  
The truth is not, is not beautiful  
I dreamt that we could fall in love

What's the use to bring down walls  
To draw up graves  
Due to ignoring tolerance  
We shall not walk any more together  
  


Angels are tired to take care of us  
Leave us as a failed world  
Being suspended for the eternity  
The world as a clock  
Which stopped.  
  


I dreamt that we could fall in love  
In the breath of the wind  
Rose the soul, the humanity  
Its coat of blood  
I shall go to spit at your graves  
The truth is not, is not beautiful  
I dreamt that we could fall in love  
  


{Refrain x2}

I dreamt that we could fall in love  
I had dreamt about the word to love

Belongs to a French singer called Mylène Farmer

In the East of the Goblin Kingdom, was a castle, which was facing the ocean on a high cliff. The castle on itself was frightening, dominating the sea, built with black stones and no window at all, except for a few little ones, high towers where you could see almost all the land around. The castle of Galion of the East, War Lord of the Goblin King. 

In one of the rooms of this castle, a nice childish room with huge windows giving on the interior garden of the castle, were a little girl with hair like honey and amber eyes and her brother, a little boy with green eyes and black hair. The two of them were facing each other, the little girl pouting nicely while her twin brother had his arms crossed above his chest. They obviously just had been in a fight as the room was filled with toys sent in every corners of the room as if somebody had sent them to someone else head.

"Calandra. It's no."

"Argh! Nathan! I want to! You know Uncle Jareth is going to…" The little girl said, frustrated, throwing her arms above her head.

"It's no, Cal."

"Nat!!!!" Calandra stomped her little foot angrily.

"You're not going!" Nathan felt that he was progressively losing his temper. His arms fell on his sides and he clenched his fists

"I am!" Calandra managed to scream even louder than usual.

Nathan was fed up. "Aren't!" he yelled back.

"Am!" Calandra shook her golden locks defiantly at her brother.

"Aren't! Aren't! Aren't! Aren't!"

"Am! Am! Am! Am! Am!"

Nathan took a steady breath to calm him; they weren't going anywhere, yelling at each other heads like that. He gritted his teeth and looked at his sister. She was staying there, defiantly raising her little chin in his direction. Oh, shit! He had already lost and she knew it. Whenever she had something in mind…

"Daddy will skin you alive." The young boy stated, crossing his arms once again on his chest. Calandra mocked her brother with her 'special grimace' as she called it and vanished from the room, leaving a sighing Nathan. 

The boy took a look at their playroom: during their "fight", Calandra had thrown everything that had fallen under her hand at her brother, thankfully, she graciously spared their mother's vase and their father's favorite set of wine. Nathan sighed and decided to wait for Calandra to clean up the mess, after all she was the one who did it. Usually, their father would make his children clean the room, forbidding the maids to help them, his angry glare on their back during the whole operation. 

Nathan took his book and settled in their father chair. He tried to read some but realized that he couldn't, his thoughts keeping on drifting back to his Uncle Jareth and his current state of mind. Uncle Jar was still talking to his father, right now and Nathan knew that his father would arrive home soon… When Calandra wouldn't be here… 

Hum, I'd better join Cal rather than face daddy's anger and disappointment alone. 

Then Calandra little voice resonated at his ears: "Nat! Please, come here! I need your help, Lady Sarah's crying!" Calandra sounded completely panicked and Nathan couldn't help but fear for his stubborn little sister. 

"Cal, what have you done?" he demanded, raising from the chair, the book on his lap falling on the ground.

"Oh, be quick for once!" Calandra snapped and Nathan thought that maybe he really should let Calandra in the deep troubles she had managed to put herself in, but he decided against it and vanished to join his sister.

*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Little Calandra wasn't a little girl whom can be refused something. Oh, no. She was as stubborn as her father and her stunning looks and cajoling manners usually got her anything she wanted from anyone, except perhaps from Uncle Jareth. Maybe that was why she liked him so much, she pondered, playing with her lower lip. She was strolling down a corridor to Uncle Jareth's lover, Sarah Williams. Calandra sped up her pace, she was so eager to meet the mortal woman who had captured her Uncle's heart. She surely is beautiful, Calandra thought.

Grinning to herself, she took a peek in one of the maid's head to make sure of her direction, without being noticed. In front of Sarah's door, Calandra started to fidget with her dress, what if the mortal didn't like her, what if she decided to prevent Uncle Jareth to come and see her and her brother, what if… Calandra squared her little shoulders and held up a hand to knock on the door but the courage failed her… Annoyed at her own cowardice, the little girl decided against knocking at the door and vanished to reappear in Sarah's room without a noise. 

The mortal woman was sitting on the windowsill, looking completely miserable. Her black hair captivated the sunshine lights, were falling around her much like a blanket, Calandra's mouth dropped open and she kept on staring at Sarah. There was something about her, an aura maybe, a light definitely coming from her that attracted Calandra and the little girl started to like her instantly.

"Lady… Lady Sarah?" Calandra said, timidly. Nathan would probably be laughing his head off if he could see her. Calandra thought angrily. She had never felt shy before! 

Sarah jerked from her reverie and turned to see a little girl standing at the foot of the bed, dressed in a purple and white dress, with honey hair and amber eyes, like the sun, timidly looking at her. She was simple breathtaking. The little girl was playing nervously with her skirt. 

"Hum, hello, Lady Sarah, my name's Calandra. Nice to meet you." Calandra felt completely stupid, she had never been so nervous before.

Sarah watched as the little girl bowed in front her, that was when Sarah noticed that the purple ribbon in Calandra's hair was falling. Sarah stood up and walked to Calandra, smiling softly. She reached out to rearrange the ribbon. "There, she said softly, it won't fall that way." The little girl was maybe 10 years old, just like Toby. Toby… Sarah looked away, pained. When would she be able to see him again? And her father and Karen? And the baby? Sarah felt her eyes filling up with tears.

"Lady Sarah?" Calandra asked, concerned. Sarah started to cry and Calandra positively freaked out. She called her brother to help and when he arrived, the two of them could only watched Sarah crying her heart out. Nathan was taken aback. When he arrived after Calandra's call, he found his sister completely panicked and the mortal woman weeping. His arrival obviously calmed Calandra down but he remained unnoticed by Sarah. Calandra took his hand and Nathan looked at her. He nodded to her and the two went to hug Sarah.

Startled, Sarah looked down at the children. She blinked twice at the little boy presence, but she had to admit that she was glad that they were there. She kneeled to be at their eyes' level and hugged the children back, whispering them a thank you.

Sarah wiped her tears away, giving a sad smile to Calandra. "Don't worry. I'm just a little upset about his high-and-mighty-pain-in-the-ass but it'd be alright." Sarah smiled again and Calandra smiled back. Sarah, then, turned to Nathan. "Now, who are you?" She asked, smiling. 

Nathan smiled shyly. Uncle Jareth was a lucky man: that woman was truly beautiful. "I'm Calandra's twin brother, Nathan. Nice to meet you, Lady Sarah. We heard a lot about you." Sarah looked at the little boy. My! He's going to break hearts when he'll get older. She thought to herself.

Nathan was a little taller than Calandra with hair as black as the night and his stunning green eyes reminded her of forest leaves, in spring and just like his sister, intelligence and knowledge shone in the little boy's eyes. He was dressed in a deep blue vest on black tight pants and high boots. His white shirt carefully tucked in his legging. He was as nervous as his sister, apparently. Sarah smiled again and wondered how on earth she can put these two nervous. 

"Come on, she told the twins, sit down." Sarah gestured to the bed and the three of them jumped on the soft mattress. "Alright, little angels, how on earth did you arrive here?"  The twins looked at themselves before grinning madly.

"We aren't supposed to do that, but Daddy's speaking with Uncle Jar, right now and I wanted to see you." Calandra answered, starting to feel at ease around Sarah. 

"Yes, Daddy will skin us alive…" Nathan answered, feeling completely miserable suddenly: he hated to see the disappointed expression on his father's face. Sarah put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it a little. 

"Nay, Lady Sarah, you know Uncle Jar really likes you!" Calandra suddenly said happily, making Sarah blush heavily.

"Uncle Jar?" She asked, dreading to hear from the kids the confirmation on the identity of that man in love with her.

Nathan nodded. "Yes, Uncle Jareth!"

"You are Jareth's niece and nephew?" Disbelief written all over her face, Sarah realized how little she knew of Jareth.

The two nodded happily and Nathan kept on. "We heard Uncle Jar talking about you to Daddy. And Daddy told him to take it slowly."

"Make you new memories!" Calandra added quickly. The twins were really excited. "Spend time with you without fighting. Nay, Lady Sarah, can we call you Auntie?"

"Auntie? Whah…Kiddos, please, don't go too fast! I… I don't…"

"You don't love Uncle Jar?" Nathan looked so sad.

"I… I don't know." Sarah paused for a while, gathering her thoughts for a better explanation. "Jareth…" she started, "is so complicated. I don't know where I am. You see, for a long time I thought that he hated me and all of the sudden he tells me that no, he never had and you…" Sarah sighed and leaned back on the pillows. The twins looked at themselves again and remained silent. Sarah squeezed Calandra's hand resting not far from her and said. "But, even if I never marry Jareth, I'd be more than happy if you two called me Auntie."

"Really?" The twins asked in unison, making Sarah laughed while nodding. 

But their screams of joy were quickly shorten when a familiar voice said dryly. "There you are, little brats! Your father is worried sick about you." Calandra squealed and turned around, her brother sighed and shook his head, he knew this was coming. As for Sarah, she was blushing madly, looking at Jareth. But Jareth paid little attention to her when he called, talking in the space. "Gal? I found them, they're here, in Sarah's room."

:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:

Galion left Jareth thinking alone in his study and went back to his castle. When he arrived in the twin's playroom, he startled the maids in.

"My Lord!" the first one, the Head of Maids of the castle, a woman in her late forties with pepper-salt hair, dressed in black with a white apron, shrieked.

"What's going on?" He couldn't believe his eyes: the room was a complete mess, toys were tossed everywhere, books lying on the ground, a fight had obviously happened in here.

"Lord Galion!" The second one turned around when she heard him.

His maids were really in a wreck, they looked completely lost and miserable and before he could say another word, another maid burst in the room, nearly in tears, running to the Head Maid. "They aren't in the garden!" she wailed. 

Galion thought that the ground was being opened under his feet. 

*JARETH!* 

*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:

Jareth gave a start when Galion's call reached him. He was staring into space, leaning on the window frame, looking at his lands, trying to find a way to give Sarah happy memories with him inside and without a fight, between the two of them. 

"Galion? What's wrong?"

Galion didn't answer him but his emotions were running high, high enough for the Goblin King to feel them. Jareth started to tremble under the rage. 

*Gods help the ones who dare to touch them!* Jareth thought angrily, pulling a crystal out from nowhere.

"Show me Calandra and Nathan."

The crystal started to change into a familiar surrounding and Jareth didn't even bother to listen what the three people inside were talking about, he simply and purely disappeared from his study and headed to Sarah's room.

::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Galion had his eyes flashing thunders on his children. When Jareth called him, he arrived a few seconds later and pulled the twins in a bone-cracking hug, then all of the sudden he started to scowl them fiercely but Sarah could see that Calandra wasn't feeling too guilty: she kept on sending malicious smile at Sarah whenever her father would take Nathan to examine him under every possible angle to make sure he wasn't hurt. Sarah had to hide her smile under her hand when Calandra put her arms around her father's neck and pouted nicely to him. Oh, my! Sarah thought. This little girl hangs out way too much around Jareth!

Nathan, on the other hand, was extremely uncomfortable, he had his head bent and his little fists were clenched. Jareth walked to him and put his hand on his shoulder, relaxing the boy.

Galion tried to keep his angry composure, but he finally sighed and hugged her again, patting Nathan's head. "Don't you do that again, little ones. The whole castle is a complete mess because of you two. I need to send them a message to reassure them." Galion put his daughter down and went out, squeezing Jareth's shoulder to thank him on his way to the door. As soon as Galion stepped out, Jareth walked to Calandra, looking down at her. Calandra tried her best to redo her little play for Jareth but he simply raised a eyebrow at her, when she started to bat her eyelashes at him. Nathan knew it wouldn't work on their Uncle and now, she was in really deep trouble. 

"Oh, stop batting your eyelashes at me, Cal. You should wait to be a little older to start this kind of things. Now, young lady should be really ashamed of yourself. You put your poor father in the worse emotional turmoil since your mother's death. And I know," Jareth kept on, raising his voice to cover Calandra when she started to protest, "that Nathan had tried to stop you but in a way or another, you managed to put yourself in trouble and he came here to save your little butt. Don't you dare to glare at me, Calandra, I know you better than you think." Jareth waited his words sank in the kid's brain, seeing her worried expression, he kept on. "I want you to go and apologize to him. Without winking at Sarah all the way and then you shall be punished for your foolish behavior. You too, Nathan, even if you tried to stop her, you took part in this stupidity and you could have left a word for the maids." Calandra bent her head and fought some tears back, biting her lower lip, Nathan feeling her distress reached for her hand and squeezed it a little to cheer her up a little.

"Jareth. You shouldn't punish her, neither of them never meant to hurt anyone. They just wanted to cheer me up." Sarah stood up and walked to the twins, pushing them behind her. Jareth couldn't believe his eyes: there she stood, protecting the children from him. Again. Again defying him, again fighting him, again seeing him as the villain of the story.

I dreamt that we could fall in love  
In the breath of the wind   
The soul, the humanity rose   
The coat of blood   
I shall go to spit at your graves   
The truth is not, is not beautiful   
I dreamt that we could fall in love

She really didn't have any trust in him. Maybe it was time to change that. Jareth felt a tug on his heart, as he saw her considering him so untrustworthy. 

"Sarah" he started, sighing. 

"Don't, Auntie Sarah. Uncle Jareth's right." Nathan said, tugging on Sarah's hand to get her attention.

"Yeah, what I did…" Calandra started.

"…was wrong." Nathan completed his sister's sentence, stunning Sarah. She heard Jareth sigh sadly and shot him a questioning look as the twins kept on sharing their sentences.

"Even if I or Nathan would do it…" 

"…again to help you Auntie Sarah, because…"

"…we like a lot." They said in unison, smiling softly and holding hands. Sarah stared at them, speechless. The twins then walked away to join their father, waving at Sarah and Jareth. Nathan closed the door behind them and Sarah turned to Jareth for an explanation.

"Jareth, what was…?"

Jareth cut her, crossing arms on his broad chest, looking thoughtfully at the closed door: "Whenever they are troubled, really worried about someone they like or upset, they start talking like that. The sentence of one starts in the mouth one of them to be ended by the other one. It's a form of protection." 

"Protection?" 

"When they lost their mother, they'd only speak like that. It took me ages to make them speak again like everybody else." Sarah said nothing else, thinking of the twins.

They lost their mother…that's why they were so nervous around me… A grown-up woman reminds them of their own mother… Poor things.

Jareth observed her from the corner of his eye. He watched, amazed, as she seemed to be worried for the twins. 

"Sarah, let's get outside." Jareth proposed her, extending his hand to her, daring her to take it. 

Sarah looked up, ready to send Jareth in hell or in the Bog of Eternal Stench, but the hurt flash that passed in his mismatched eyes stopped her.

"Nay, Lady Sarah, you know Uncle Jar really likes you!"

"We heard Uncle Jar talking about you to Daddy. And Daddy told him to take it slowly."

"Spend time with you without fighting. Nay, Lady Sarah can we call you Auntie?"

"You don't love Uncle Jar?"

I don't know… Jareth, tell me exactly what I am supposed to do. 

Sarah nodded slowly and took his hand. Jareth smiled making Sarah blushed again and she hastily looked away making Jareth frowned. Why wouldn't she look at him? Oh, well, it's already a start. He told himself, squeezing her hand. Jareth transported them. 

Wind blew gently on them while Sarah looked all around them: an impossible lake with all around, where they stood, ancestral trees standing on a grassy field. But Sarah kept on looking at the lake, eyes wide and mouth open: above the lake were floating rocks from which water was falling and the sunlight piercing through the falls created several little rainbows, more beautiful than the one before. 

Jareth stood behind her, letting her appreciate the sight, a soft smile on his handsome face. He tilted his head on the side: Sarah was standing there, at hand, but she seemed more far than when Jareth was looking at her in a crystal. Her long black hair whirling around her, her hazel eyes glinting with surprise and delight, her rosy lips parted, her pale soft skin… Jareth ran a hand over his face, when her voice called him.

"Oh, Jareth, this place is so beautiful." Sarah had turned to face him but her eyes on themselves kept on going to the lake, a contented smile playing on her lips. 

"Not as much as you…" Jareth murmured. 

"What?" Sarah asked, holding her hair which kept on covering her face.

The wind blew harder and Jareth walked to Sarah, hypnotized. "Nothing." He told her and from nowhere took a ribbon and tied Sarah's hair in a loose ponytail, his gloved hands caressing her face and neck. 

Sarah stopped breathing when Jareth took her hair in his hands and couldn't but stare at his handsome face. He was standing in front of her: tall, strong and regal but also calm and something else Sarah couldn't put a finger on it. Her heart quickened when Jareth's hands gently touched her face. Warmth invaded her body and… faded quickly as Jareth stepped backwards. Sarah blinked: it wasn't in Jareth's habits to step back so quickly! 

"Sarah, here's our deal: you stay here, in the Underground for a full year and after then, you'll be free." 

With me. 

"If you refuse, then I shall claim your life as mine because I saved you." 

Sarah gritted her teeth, all the nice sentences of the twins forgotten and the pleasant feeling she had felt when Jareth had touched her. "As if you had let me a choice in this matter." 

Jareth grinned down at her. "Quite true."

Sarah sat down, putting her hands behind her as she tilted her head back to look at the blue sky and feel the warm sun on her face. Jareth looked at her, dressed in her jeans and gray tank top, her bare feet. Was it a tear that reflected the sunlight on her face or was he dreaming?

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

okay, guys, I know you've been waiting for this for a loooooooooooooooooooooong time, and I'm sorry I didn't put it up sooner. In fact, this part was much longer, but it was too long, so I split this chapter in two! The next part will be up shortly, promise!!

THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED!!! 

(waah, waah, even our Master Cormack3032, the one who wrote one of my favorite stories, Survive, reviewed, waaah waah, waah, I'm so haaaaapppy!!!!!! Keep writing, keep writing your story, please, end our sufferings soon with a sweet and happy epilogue!!!!!!!! Stupid Gorgin, just go to hell! Or Maybe Jareth should let him fall in the Bog…. Jareth! Just do it! It sounds like a really good idea to me!!!!!) 


	4. Do you think we could play another game?

Hey, guys here's part 4. I know I should have waited for Tiffanie who accepted to pre-read my fic, but I couldn't help it!!!!!!!! Please, forgive me, Tiffanie, don't be offended, please, I beg you, it's just that after working almost four days on this part I was a little eager to get some people's reactions. Please! And don't think I don't care about your comments, as soon as you send them to me, I'll change whatever needs some improvement and repost this part! It's just I was too eager to get some reviews! 

So people REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! PLEASE! 

mikim

Chapter 4. Do you think we could play another game?

Jareth conjured a blanket and a basket full of food and wine. Sarah and him sat on it, next to the water. Sarah was drinking slowly, after eating a few sandwiches. She hadn't said a single word since Jareth's bomb and the latter didn't want to be the first to break the silence. Sarah set her glass of wine down and looked up at Jareth, still eating. "Alright, now how am I going to do for my work and for my family?"

"Easy." Jareth said, wiping his hands on a napkin, he conjured a small crystal hang at the end of a silver necklace. "Here" he said, giving it to her, Sarah held up the tiny crystal and watched it in delight as the sun was reflected in it, creating a thousands of little rainbows. "With this you are allowed to travel between the worlds but it would work only once a week and you need to come back here to get it refill in magic." Sarah frowned at him, closing the clap of the necklace around her neck. Was he implying that he didn't trust her? "And this, he kept on, would provide you anything you want from Aboveground." Jareth handed her another crystal, like one he uses.

"Then, I think I need a typing machine…"

"It is the thing you have on your desk?"

"No, that's my computer, it works with electricity."

"And so?"

"Jareth, you don't even know what electricity is."

"Then, what's the matter? I mean, in the thing on your desk you have all your stories, no? I saw you using it everyday."

"But I can't ask for my computer, Jareth, there isn't any electricity here, and I don't think you could handle electrified goblins, now, could you?"

"Sarah. It doesn't matter, when you ask for something, the crystal will take it from your world but it would still be part of your world. It will put your thing in a two-dimensions space. Your computer would be still on your desk and in your bedroom in the castle, in the meantime."

"Alright. I believe you, no matter if it's physically impossible and that I'm not sure I understood everything and everything that it implies, but it's ok, I believe you."

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, do you really think that floating fall, you keep on staring, is possible too?" Jareth asked, smiling smugly.  "We're in the Underground, the rules here are different."

"Yeah, I know." Sarah took her wine glass and drank some more, gazing at the lake and the shiny falls. Jareth, content of himself, finished his meal. He was about to refill Sarah's glass when he felt eyes on his back. Instantly, he knew who were spying on Sarah and him. 

Jareth let a growl fall from his throat, startling Sarah, and looked around. "Alright, now, Galion, Calandra and Nathan, get out of here before I come for you." Sarah sat up and looked around, trying to find the spies but she only heard a crystal-like laugh and a few amused whispers. Jareth stood up and Sarah heard squealing and sounds of people running away. Sarah started to laugh while Jareth was still fuming. "Gal! When I'll get my hands on you!!"

Jareth turned back to Sarah and seeing her laugh to her heart content, calmed him and filled him with warmth, longing and, he admitted sadly, love. A one-side love, he thought bitterly. The urge of kissing her took him, gulping, he tried to fight it, but found himself willingly losing to it.  

He kneeled next to Sarah, taking her hand in his, smiling to her. Sarah's laughter calmed down and she looked up at him. Jareth's face was a mixture of pain and happiness. 

How weird.

Jareth leaned closer to Sarah, moving slowly, just holding her hand so that she could push him away if she didn't want him to kiss her. But the souvenir of an earlier kiss played in her mind, making her flush. She remembered oh too vividly the feel of his lips against hers, the way his hands traveled down her body, the way her heart fluttered painfully and happily in her chest, the way she… 

Jareth brushed his lips on hers and withdrew; waiting for her reaction but Sarah had her eyes closed and didn't seem to mind at all. When Jareth pulled away, Sarah slowly opened her eyes, not really believing it had actually happened: Jareth had kissed her again, not a soul wrenching kiss, but a gentle, kind, sweet, little kiss. 

"Daddy told him to take it slowly"

Was Nathan right? Were the twins actually telling her the truth? Could Jareth really be in …love with her?

I want and need to know… Sarah leaned forward and kissed him. Jareth, taken aback, didn't respond until Sarah moved away from him, he watched her touching her lips and noticed the red color of her cheeks. Sarah turned to him again. 

Was a child talk worth a try? What if the Goblin King was only seeking revenge? What if… 

Jareth kissed her again, silencing her doubts and fears, she wrapped her hands around his neck as he slowly, quietly, gently gave her a kiss, a chaste kiss, a small peek on her cherry lips, nothing like the one they shared on her room, on her bed. Nothing. Disappointment tugged rather painfully on Sarah's heart. 

Jareth cupped her face: "Do you want me to kiss you like I did this morning, Sarah?" Jareth whispered, his voice low and husky, against her lips, taunting them with his words. 

This morning… Was it really only this morning? It felt like years for her… 

"Do you, Sarah? Tell me, I need to know…" He insisted hoarsely, pain and desire ragging inside of him. Pain for having her so close and so far in the meantime, he wanted her, oh that for sure, but not only in a physical way. He wanted, above all, her heart but only if she was the one giving it to him. If she asked him to kiss her, could he dare to think that he had a chance of winning her?

Sarah was growing hot and breathless. "Jareth…" 

"Sarah, tell me." He implored again. 

"Please…" The whisper was almost unheard by Jareth, almost. And suddenly, the world became full of light.

I dreamt that we could fall in love 

I had dreamt about the word to love

Jareth moaned almost painfully and leaned on her, lying on top of her, kissing her greedily. Sarah wounded her arms around his neck to hold him closer and he buried his hands in Sarah's hair, leaning on his elbows not to crush her under his weight. His hungry mouth slanted over hers, covering her moans of pleasure, sending hot shivers down her spine, his tongue playing with her mouth then withdrawing, daring her to come in his and get what she wanted. The hesitating answer of her tongue across his lips could have brought him to his knees, she was responding to him. Jareth, at this point, completely lost his mind. He could only feel her, he no longer was in a field, no, all that mattered was Sarah. Sarah and her sweet lips, lips that he claimed as his own now, Sarah and her beautiful long hair, which felt like satin to him, Sarah and her delicious skin he longed to taste more. His hands, from themselves, left her hair to travel down her body: they caressed her swan-like neck, lingered on her small chin and touched her small shoulder blades… 

Jareth suddenly pushed himself off Sarah, falling on his back next to her. Sarah opened her eyes with a start and sat up to look at Jareth, confused and surprised at his reaction: he was lying next to her, on his back, his hands on his face, trembling and just like her panting heavily.

"Jareth?" She held out a hand timidly to touch him when he jerked away.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed. He knew he was confusing her, but he couldn't help it: if he looked at her right now, he might as well, end up making love to her, right now in the grass, but she deserved an explanation for his behavior: 

"Sarah," his voice low and shaking, Jareth removed his hands but still didn't dare to look at her, "you drive me crazy," he whispered, "I always want to hold you and kiss you. But now is not the place or the time for that, now is it?" Hope shone in his mismatched eyes as he turned to Sarah. Would she tell him that she could love him back?

Sarah sat, stunned by his confession, and when he turned to her, hope shining in his eyes, she didn't find the courage to turn him down or to give in to his hopes. So, she answered his unspoken question in the only logic way to her: without a word, she leaned forward and kissed him slowly, caressing his lips with her owns. 

Understand me, Jareth, please. I still don't know how I feel around you…But, but…

Jareth wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer, deepening the kiss even if his mind kept on yelling at him to stop before he completely lost control. Jareth planted butterfly kisses all over her face and started to kiss her neck. "I'm so weak when you're around." He whispered huskily against her neck.

"Why do you feel weak around me?" Sarah replied, in an ushered voice too as Jareth wrapped his arms around her waist. She threw one of her leg on the other side of his body to let him have a better access to her neck, as he sucked on her pulse point, making her gasp and she shuddered against him. Sarah, sitting on his lap, could feel his hardness against her lower belly and suddenly, she felt like there was a sun shining inside of her. A sun, created by Jareth, because of Jareth, because he made her feel so special… The way he looked at her: so gentle and so passionate in the meantime, the way he held her: sometimes as if she was the most precious thing in the world, sometimes as if he wanted her to be part of his body, the way his mouth hungrily roared on her, like he never had enough of tasting, kissing, biting her… 

"You… turn me… crazy…" Jareth managed to say between his kisses. "I'm afraid i fell…" 

Jareth suddenly stopped and blinked several times. Sarah looked down at him; confused again, he looked lost as if not knowing what to do next. And Jareth disappeared.

Sarah, missing so suddenly Jareth support, fell heavily on the blanket, on her stomach. She quickly looked around for the Goblin King but she was alone.

"What the hell?" Sarah wondered, "He left me…" Sarah's voice trailed as if she didn't quite believe what she was saying. Sarah stood up, rather angry, fuming she yelled: "Now, what was that, Jareth? Kissing me like that? And then, then, then…" 

Unable to go on, Sarah groaned in frustration and threw her hands up. "I GIVE UP! Heard me, Jareth? I GIVE UP! YOU CAN GO AND SWIN IN THAT DAMNED BOG OF YOURS FOR ALL I CARE!!!! DAMN IT!!" Her voice rising as she talked, tears of frustration filled her eyes: Jareth was behaving like he really did have feelings for her, he had made her feel so special when.... suddenly, he decided to disappear. "YOU CAN BURN IN HELL, JARETH! CAUSE, CAUSE I… I… I HA-" A strong hand covered her mouth and a deep voice told her. 

"Sarah, don't say things you'll regret in the end." Sarah whirled around, her long hair slapping the stranger on his chest. Galion, the twins' father was standing in front of her, looking gently down at her. 

He smiled at her angry glare and sat down, looking at the lake: "This is Jareth's favorite place. He only brings people he likes here. By the way, my name's Galion, one of the War Lords of the Underground, if that ever mean something, of course. I guess I was a little too emotional earlier to introduce myself properly and I bet Jareth didn't bother to tell you who I was." Sarah, speechless, stared down at Galion: the man's eyes twinkled with secret and mischief as he pat the ground next to him, gesturing Sarah to sit down next to him. Sarah fell more than sat, emotionally exhausted, drawing her knees under her chin, her head tilted in Galion's direction, waiting for him to go on. 

"When Jar was around eight of your human years, my father died. His father, the previous Goblin King, took me in, because he and my father were close friends. I was ten. Jar was a skinny, little boy whose mismatched eyes either frightened the other kids or made them laugh. Children can be so cruel…" Sarah hastily looked away. "I became like an older brother for Jar, as he was the only child and the future heir, he didn't have many friends. And being raised like a prince, boasted for his incredible talents and powers in the Art, didn't help either to turn him… sociable, I would say." Sarah laughed bitterly. "But, after that he opened to me, I found a terribly lonely little boy, who needed love, like any other little boys. But his father was King and Kings preferred not to show their love to anyone, not even to their sons, because it could put their loved ones in danger."

Sarah interrupted him, dryly: "Jareth is a King too, so what's the point of all this?" Frustrated, Sarah sat, cross-leg and nearly yelled. "What is it? Some kind of revenge?" Tears watered her eyes, she couldn't help but feeling deeply hurt. "That's it, isn't it? He wants me to fall madly in love with him and then he'll reject me! Is it what he wants? Then, go, go and tell him that his-"

"Sarah." Galion's voice firm and steady stopped her hysterical ranting. "Jareth is the Goblin King, the most powerful one and the most feared monarch of all Underground. He likes playing with others, true, he likes blackmailing, he enjoys threatening people and daring them to affront his Labyrinth. Your victory on him first turned him bitter and annoying to everyone, even to our old nanny, who bored by his pain in the ass attitude gave him the longest lecture ever." 

Galion chuckled softly at the memory. Jareth, eyes wide, as the old, small and round nanny that raised him and Galion, pinched his ear like she used to do when he was a child and lectured him for days. Always grumbling about his attitude, his bad manners, his horrible temper and above all, she couldn't admit that Jareth refused himself to love. 

"But, I think it'd would be better if Jareth is the one who tells you this. It wasn't his most finest hour and his pride was deeply wounded, so let him tell you this story when he'll be ready. Anyway, after nanny's lecture, Jareth took the habit of disappearing, for days sometimes. He would come back home half dead, sometimes happier than I thought he could be after you, sometimes he'd just come here to kick some Goblins in the wall or break some of his crystals. Nanny was really worried, she started to think he was mad and called me: once I followed Jareth and realized where he was going. You too, no?"

"He was coming to my world…watching me…"

"Have you ever woken up at night or early in the morning because you felt like being watched? It was Jareth, all the time; it's always been Jareth. Sarah, never doubt of Jareth's feeling for you. It's just that as you may have realized Jareth isn't a simple person to handle… I mean, when he hates, his hatred is almost physical. Just like his love. It's everything or nothing with Jareth, it's always been and it'll never change. You know of course what are Jareth's feelings for you, don't you?" 

"I…Oh, please, understand me, Galion. For the longest time, I thought Jareth hated me from the bottom of his heart and he was so cold, back there. His face was always emotionless and… now… now, your kids tell me he…loves me and… I think my world is completely upside down for now, I don't even know...Oh, shot, maybe when I'll be able to put some order in my life and have a good talk with Jareth I think that…"

Galion stared at the mortal woman: while speaking, she was playing with her hair, making nervous moves with her hands, definitely not at ease. Not caring that he was cutting her, Galion asked her. "Have you ever loved my King, Lady Sarah?"

Sarah, surprised, turned to Galion: his tone wasn't friendly anymore; more cold and impersonal than nothing and it was the first time he called her "Lady Sarah".  It wasn't Galion, Jareth's older brother that was talking, no; it was one of Jareth's lords, one of the War Lords of the Underground. 

Sarah avoided Galion's piercing gaze and confessed in a whisper: "Good Lord, Jareth was my dream when I was a child. I would dream every night, when I was younger, that he would come to get me and take me here, to live with him because he was in love with me." Sarah paused for a while and started with a clear and steady voice, " But now, I'm an adult and don't have the time to live in fantasies. I've put my past behind me and Jareth's just confusing me."

Galion smiled and stood up, Sarah following in his moves. He extended a hand to her, which she grabbed and he led her to the lake, curious on what he wanted, Sarah followed without saying anything. Galion made her kneel above the water and told her softly: "Have you really changed? I think that the child Jareth met is still here, otherwise she wouldn't have been screaming earlier that she was giving up. Right, Sarah?" Sarah looked in the water to look at herself, Galion smiling above her. She swallowed hard. Did she really put her past behind her?

::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.

"Have you looked in his study?"

"I have."

"In the library?"

"Yes."

"In his bedroom?"

"Yes, Cal, for the hundredth times, yes!" 

"Ew… Cool down, older brother, I was just asking. Anyway, we have to get Daddy and tell him to go to Uncle Jar because we can't find him… Have you looked in the throne room?"

"No."

"Ha! Then he must be…

"Because you were the one supposed to go in there." 

"Oh."

:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:...:

Sarah looked at her reflection in the water: had she really that changed from the teenager she once was? Had she really put her past behind her? Had she… really put Jareth behind her?

Galion walked several feet backwards to let Sarah some intimacy with herself. He looked up at the sky. The things I do for you, Jareth… Galion sighed and waited. A little voice called him: * Daddy? *

Galion turned around almost instantly but nobody was there. * Cal, you're not supposed to do that with someone else than your brother. * He stated irritated.

* Oh, well, we'll see my punishment later. We can't find Uncle Jar! * 

Galion sighed. * I guess he's hiding in his secret place. I'll go, you two come here and bring Sarah to that place. *

* Is it wise, Daddy? This place holds many difficult memories for both of them. *

* Cal, you were the one who talked us into playing matchmaker. So you have to have faith in us! Otherwise, what's the point of doing all this? *

"You're right, Daddy." Nathan said, smiling softly at his father. Galion looked down at him and smiled broadly, ruffling his hair.

"Sneaky brat, I didn't even sense you coming! Good job! Good job! Jareth will be happy!" he exclaimed loudly, Nathan grinned, rather proud of himself. Sarah looked up from the water to see father and son, grinning like devils. Next to her was sitting a smiling Calandra, her honey-like hair blowing gently around her and her amber eyes shining with love and happiness. She turned to Sarah and told her.

"I hope one day, you'll be part also of our family, Auntie Sarah."  Sarah avoided her old and young amber eyes. How could a child be so wise at a so young age? How could a child read her heart so easily and put her little inquiring fingers where it hurts the most? How could a child know so much and so little in the meantime? Calandra reached for Sarah's hand and squeezed it, childlike. "Come on, Auntie Sarah, Nat and I will take you to a beautiful place too! We're sure you'll like it! Come!" Her joy was communicative and Sarah, despite her gloomy state of mind, smiled. Nat greeted her as happily as his sister and Galion winked at her, while telling her goodbyes. "I'll see you much later, I guess." Perplex, Sarah raised an eyebrow at his words but forgot it instantly as the kids pulled on her hands. 

:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:

Galion went straight to Jareth's study. There, he sat on the couch and took a look at the book, laying carelessly next to him. He opened it and tried to look interested in his reading, knowing all too well that Jareth was hiding behind the bookcase. A heavy sigh was heard and Galion dropped his book, not even bothering to suppress the wide smile playing on his lips. Jareth stepped out the illusion in which he was hiding and glared at Galion, his arms crossed on his chest. 

"Okay, Jar, now what was the big idea?"

If looks could kill, Galion would be eating flowers by their roots… Inside, Galion mentally winced. Jareth was mad at himself and at the world in general, it seemed. Not exactly the best time to try to talk to him about his foolish behavior. The only way to snap him out of this state of mind was a either a fist match, their last one lasted for two hours and ended up with the two of them completely worn out and a wonderful black eye for Galion and a big blue bruise on Jareth's jaw, either a glaring contest, which unfortunately could last forever with Jareth. But Galion wanted him to meet Sarah again, and in good shape, so the only solution was the glaring contest… Or maybe… 

Galion's smile broadened while Jareth's eyes darkened. "What are you smiling at, you dolt?" Jareth growled.

Galion chose not to answer and kept on smiling, Jareth had never been a patient man and his temper would slowly get the best of him. Maybe a little push in the correct direction and he'd lose his temper in a matter of seconds… 

Galion, still smiling like a Cheshire cat, took the book again and hide his face behind. Angry, Jareth marched to him and threw the book by the window. Stunned, Galion blinked, mouth agape, then slowly, surely, his smile came back to his lips and he looked up at Jareth.

"ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Power flying, rushing down in the study, bringing shelves down, papers flying everywhere, chairs knocking in the wall. Galion protected himself, waiting for Jareth to calm down.

Well, Galion mused, secretly amused by his little brother behavior, he held his temper a little longer than last time. 

The amount of power suddenly fell and the magical wind completely stopped. Exhausted, Jareth collapsed more than sat on the couch next to Galion.

"Bastard." 

Galion smiled bitterly. "Well, thank you, little brother."

"Stop calling me like that!" Jareth snapped back.

"What, little brother?" The older man tried to sound innocent, but failed miserably because he couldn't suppress a laugh.

"GALION!!" Jareth growled again.

Galion stopped laughing and said. "Oh, alright. Now, Jareth, seriously why did you leave Sarah like that?"

"None of your business." Jareth bit back.

Galion crossed his arms on his chest and glared at Jareth, telling him. "Jareth, the ball is in your camp, I'd rather not do it, but I will if you force me to. You either explain yourself or I beat you up."

"As if you could."

"Are you daring me, Goblin King?"

"Pff." 

"Jareth." Galion snapped.

Jareth remained silent for few minutes before he started, in a whisper. "I lost control... I don't know what happened, but suddenly she became the world, my world. Back then, in the grass I wanted her. Nothing else mattered to me, not even you. I…" his voice was becoming passionate, rising slowly. "She could have asked me anything, I would have given her everything… I was about to tell her how I felt and it struck me how much power she holds on me." Losing suddenly all its warmth, his voice dropped back to a whisper. "If she wants my life, I'd gladly give it to her… Anything… I'll offer her anything, just as long as she's happy. But if she leaves... I couldn't stop thinking that she could tell me no in the end and I… I don't think I could…" 

"So you ran away." Galion completed. "Coward." He added, mad at Jareth.

Jareth too was turning mad. "I did not run away. I needed time to myself to figure out what I could do." 

"Do what, Jareth? She kisses you, you turn mad. This is called raging hormones, pal."

"GALION!" Jareth yelled.

"You're an idiot, Jar. Oh, listen for once, you're in love with a girl. Right? Then the both of you start to make out in the grass and you, for goodness sake, you know nothing better than to disappear like a thief! Did you think of her, Jar? Did you think of how she could feel after? She asked me if it was a kind of revenge from you. She asked me if your plan was to make her fall in love with you then throw her out when she'll be crazy about you! She's confused, Jar, she believed you hated her because she defeated you in the Labyrinth, ten years ago, and I'm afraid to tell you she thinks she's over you. I guess she's damned right."

"What?"

"If you don't shake yourself out of this crap, you're going to lose her for good, Jar! Stupid badass king, what are you waiting for? A kick in your royal ass? I can do it, if you want!" Galion was losing his temper. He couldn't just let his little brother run away like that! That was so un-Jareth-like!

Jareth stood up and marched to the table on which he slammed his hands, his back to Galion. "ENOUGH!" He yelled again.

Galion stood up as well and approached Jareth. "Enough of what Jar? Point out the truth, that you're losing her because of your cowardice? Because you're scared of confessing your feelings to someone?" 

"GALION!"

"What will you do, Jareth? When she'll scream in your face that she'll hate till the end of times? Which, by the way, she'd almost done but I stopped her in time. What will you do, when you'll send her back Aboveground? What will happen when a man will come in her life? When she'll have another one's child?"

Jareth's fist connected with Galion's jaw, sending him crashing in the couch. "SHUT UP!" 

Galion ran a hand over his jaw, making sure it wasn't broken. Jareth was panting, his eyes as wild as his hair, his trembling hands at his sides, looking at nothing in particular. The idea of losing her for good scared him to death. Sighing, he suddenly sat down on the ground, head bent. Galion managed to pull himself on his feet and walked to Jareth. He collapsed on the ground next to him and looked up at him: 

"Jareth, don't be scared of that power as you call it she holds on you. You don't know, maybe you hold as much power on her. The only way for you to know is to confess clearly your feelings to her, maybe she'll answer them." Jareth said nothing. "Go, she must be waiting in the ballroom."

.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.

 Jareth walked slowly down the corridor leading to the ballroom of his castle. After Sarah had left, Jareth had spent a lot of time in this room, sending crystals smashing on the walls, punching the walls till his hands bleed, trying to get rid of the memories but he couldn't leave the room. For the first few weeks after Sarah's winning over the Labyrinth, Jareth remained in the room. And that was where his old nanny found him and lectured him. Jareth winced at the memory. He remembered trying first to forget about Sarah and so he changed the ballroom completely. Now, huge windows, on which white and gold curtains hung, chandelier placed at regular interval on the walls, some hanging from the ceiling and others on each pillars, to lit up nicely the room, the walls had been repainted in white, with golden border. When he arrived in front of the golden door separating him from the ballroom and Sarah, Jareth hesitated. He frowned and was about to push the doors open, when Nathan appeared on his left. The little boy smiled softly and opened the doors for him. 

At the sound of the door opening, Sarah turned around. Calandra and Nathan had led her to this room. At first, she had refused to even take a look at it, but when Nathan noticed how much the room had changed since she had last seen it, her curiosity took the upper hand and she had to look at it. Amazed, she had walked into the ballroom, not really believing that it was the same, from ten years ago. 

Jareth stood speechless in the door frame of his ballroom: Sarah stood, few feet from him, with her bare feet, hair flowing around her face, but still, she looked royal. A Queen from the books she wrote. Her beauty wasn't only in her facial traits or in her figure, no, it was something else, something that was filling her with light, a light Jareth wished he could touch but feared to be burnt. But the temptation was there, teasing his nerves, caressing his over-sensitive flesh, he needed her as the air around. 

Inwardly, Jareth sighed in defeat. Again. He walked casually to her while it was evident that she was angry. She clenched her little fists and started to glare at him but still he didn't say a word. Finally, upset by his silence, Sarah ironically asked. "So, the high and mighty Goblin King pays me a visit, I should be honored, now shouldn't I?" Jareth kept on staring at her, face unreadable. "What? Not a word? My, I should mark this day! The Goblin King without words! How could this be?"

Softly, Jareth suddenly inquired. "Is that all you see in me?" His pained voice stopped the acid words Sarah wanted to throw at his face. "Just the Goblin King, nothing else?" he insisted. Jareth moved closer and held up his hand to caress her hair. Jareth's question caught her off guard and the anger she wanted to keep was fleeting away. 

"Jareth…"

"Tell me. Am I only a Goblin King to you?" His voice dropped an octave and he tilted his head on the side, holding some of her hair in his left hand, slowly bringing it to his mouth. Sarah watched him kiss her hair, her heart threatening to jerk out of her chest because of the way it was pounding on her ribcage. With his free hand, Jareth took hers and placed it above his heart, he then leaned closer to her and rested his head in the hollow of her shoulder, his forehead touching her neck. Stunned by his actions, Sarah didn't dare to move and waited for Jareth to explain, her anger long forgotten. 

Oddly enough, as soon as Jareth had taken her hand, as soon as she had felt his warmth invaded her body, she had felt relaxed, completed… and her heart had stopped its crazy course. 

Under her fingers, Sarah felt Jareth's heart beating madly in his chest. The latter, his hot breath teasing her skin, whispered against her shoulder. "Can you feel my heart, Sarah? It's the first time it's running like that. And it scares me. How can you hold so much power over me, Sarah?" 

Jareth raised his head from Sarah's shoulder and stared in her eyes, his emotions running high. "You are just a mortal woman and still you can crush my heart to pieces with a mere look." 

Jareth leaned forward again, not resisting the envy of smelling her, feeling her warmth, feeling her. He dropped her hair and removed his right hand above hers on his heart to put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. Sarah willingly followed his movement and she felt his long, hard legs against hers. Her heart started to beat faster again in anticipation. She couldn't help but stare back at him, looking in his strange mismatched eyes. 

"How can you? Are you a witch? Did you cast a spell on me, Sarah? Tell me, why am I so scared of losing you?" His raw emotions were whispered in a husky and low voice against her lips. 

"Jareth…" Sarah breathed before Jareth groaned low in his throat, almost painfully, definitely excited by her nearness. Her hot breath tingled his senses.

"See, just having you near and look how am I…" He placed a feather like kiss on her lips and watched her awe as eyes closed she passed her tongue on her lips. "Sarah…" The sound of her name in his mouth sent shivers down Sarah's spine and so when Jareth kissed her again, her legs turned out into jelly and she threw her arms around his neck, holding him tight. She could feel him tremble within the circle of her arms, but how on earth could she make the Goblin King shake when she couldn't stand on her own?

His mouth sought on her, tongues fought each other to dominate the other, moans and hands investigating each other's bodies, learning as much as possible of each other's curves. Jareth broke the kiss first and walked several feet backwards, panting hard and sweating. He stared down at Sarah and her heated gaze attracted him as the fly to the candle. And as the fly, he knew he was going to get burnt.

Sarah opened her eyes, excitement commanding her senses, her rational mind long gone. She held out her hands to Jareth, which he took in his, and pulled him closer to her. Jareth let go of her hands to close his arms around her waist while Sarah did the same, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling his warmth and body, Sarah felt complete and calmed down. 

"Jareth… Do you love me?" Jareth, I'm so confused, please understand me. I'm lost. 

Jareth took a sharp inhale of air and buried his face in her hair, trying not to look at her. He had heard her thoughts and he had to admit he was feeling the same. He knew he loved her, he had for a long time but before he had restrained himself from touching her. Maybe kissing her this morning was the biggest mistake in his life because now he couldn't do it anymore without her close. How did he survive without touching her, kissing, smelling her, was beyond his comprehension. Maybe it wasn't such a mistake, after all.

_Tell me exactly what I am supposed to do._

_Now that I have allowed you to beat me_

_Do you think that we could play another game?_

_Maybe I could win this time…_

End part 4. 

See you next time…

mikim


	5. Between Future and Past

Oh guys did I tell you how much I love you? Oh, thank you so much for all those wonderful reviews! You don't know how happy they make me! Thank you so much.

Hey, hey, we all know I don't own the Labyrinth. Stupid disclaimers anyway. I wish I owned Jareth!!! (just like half of the ladies out there, now, right?  -_~ ). 

Je te promets

Je te promets le sel au baiser de ma bouche  
Je te promets le miel à ma main qui te touche  
Je te promets le ciel au dessus de ta couche  
Des fleurs et des dentelles pour que tes nuits soient douces

Je te promets la clé des secrets de mon âme  
Je te promets ma vie de mes rires à mes larmes  
Je te promets le feu à la place des armes  
Plus jamais des adieux rien que des au-revoirs

J'y crois comme à la terre, j'y crois comme au soleil  
J'y crois comme un enfant, comme on peut croire au ciel  
J'y crois comme à ta peau, à tes bras qui me serrent  
J'te promets une histoire différente des autres  
J'ai tant besoin d'y croire encore

Je te promets des jours tout bleus comme tes veines  
Je te promets des nuits rouges comme tes rêves  
Des heures incandescentes et des minutes blanches  
Des secondes insouciantes au rythme de tes hanches

Je te promets mes bras pour porter tes angoisses  
Je te promets mes mains pour que tu les embrasses  
Je te promets mes yeux si tu ne peux plus voir  
J'te promets d'être heureux si tu n'as plus d'espoir

  
J'y crois comme à la terre, j'y crois comme au soleil  
J'y crois comme un enfant, comme on peut croire au ciel  
J'y crois comme à ta peau, à tes bras qui me serrent  
J'te promets une histoire différente des autres  
Si tu m'aides à y croire encore

Et même si c'est pas vrai, si on te l'a trop fait  
Si les mots sont usés, comme écris à la craie  
On fait bien des grands feu en frottant des cailloux  
Peut-être avec le temps à la force d'y croire  
On peut juste essayer pour voir

Et même si c'est pas vrai, même si je mens  
Si les mots sont usés, légers comme du vent  
Et même si notre histoire se termine au matin  
J'te promets un moment de fièvre et de douceur  
pas toute le nuit mais quelques heures ...

Je te promets le sel au baiser de ma bouche  
Je te promets le miel à me main qui te touche  
Je te promets le ciel au dessus de ta couche  
Des fleurs et des dentelles pour que tes nuits soient douces...

I promise you

I promise you the salt to the kiss of my mouth,  
I promise the honey to my hand which touches you,  
I promise you the sky above your bed  
Flowers and laces so that your nights are sweet

I promise you the key of the secrets of my soul  
I promise you my life of my laughter to my tears  
I promise you the fire to the place of weapons  
Ever farewells only in to good-byes.

I believe in it as in the earth, I believe in it as in the sun  
I believe in it as a child, as one can believe in the sky  
I believe in it as in your skin, in your arms which tighten me  
I promise you a history different from the others  
I need so much to believe in it

I promise you quite blue days as your veins  
I promise you red nights as your dreams  
Incandescent hours and white minutes  
Careless seconds at the rhythm of your hips

I promise you my arms to carry your fears  
I promise you my hands so that you kiss them  
I promise you my eyes if you can not see any more  
I promise to be happy you if you have no more hope

  
I believe in it as in the earth, I believe in it as in the sun  
I believe in it as a child, as one can believe in the sky  
I believe in it as in your skin, in your arms which tighten me  
I promise you a history different from the others  
If you help me still to believe in it

And even if it is not true, if one did it too much to you  
If the words are worn out, as write in the chalk  
One makes of big fire by rubbing pebbles  
Maybe in time in the force to believe in it  
One can just try to see

And even if it is not true, even if I lie  
If the words are used, light as of the wind  
And even if our history ends in the morning  
I promise you a moment of fever and sweetness  
Not quite at night but some hours...

I promise you the salt to the kiss of my mouth,  
I promise the honey to my hand which touches you,  
I promise you the sky above your bed  
Flowers and laces so that your nights are sweet

Lyrics & music: JJ Goldman.

Chapter 5. Between Future and Past.

Jareth and Sarah hadn't moved since Sarah's question. Sarah didn't know what the hell possessed her to ask such a blunt question, she was trying hard not to look at Jareth and kept her blushing face buried in his chest. 

How weird we decided to hide our faces to each other in the other's body… Jareth pondered as he felt Sarah cling on his collar and bury her face in his chest, while he had his in her hair.

Time stood still before Jareth finally answered, his voice pained, tightening his hold on Sarah. "Do you really need to ask?"

"Jareth, I…" Embarrassed, Sarah wanted to kick herself but trapped in Jareth's iron-like hug, she could barely breath.

"And you?" His heart started to beat faster and faster, Sarah could hear it. Between his heartbeats, Sarah could almost hear another question, one he had asked her, without waiting for an answer, a question which nagged her because she couldn't first understand her but now, as it repeated itself between each of his heartbeats, Sarah finally understood she could just kill him if she wanted… 

"How can you hold so much power over me, Sarah?"

How scared he must have been, he, a King, the Goblin King nonetheless, the ruler of the Labyrinth, to feel so dependent of her.

Sarah bit on her lower lip, she couldn't lie to him and get his hopes high when she didn't know how she really felt. Sure, there was that damn physical attraction that kept on gluing them in each others arms but…  "Jareth, please understand… I'm not quite sure where I am. This is too fast for me. I mean this morning, I…"

Jareth put a finger to silence her on her lips and said. "Let me take you a better place for us to talk. I don't need other spies to trouble us." Sarah, smiling, nodded against his chest. Suddenly, she found herself in a huge room with a round table in the middle, bookcases facing imposing windows, under which lied an old and used red couch. Jareth led her to the couch and sat next to her, holding her hand: he obviously didn't want to let her go. 

Sarah rolled her eyes heavenward and sarcastically said. "Jareth, I wasn't the one who ran away, you know."

Jareth smiled bitterly back and wrapped his arms around her again, bringing her almost on his lap. "Just to make sure." She's still angry at me for running away… 

Jareth leaned on the couch and Sarah rested her head on his chest, her hand on his heart. Jareth looked thoughtfully down at her. Did she realize how much depended on her next answer? His heart wouldn't just stop running for a while and Jareth, nervously, dropped a kiss in her hair.

"Jareth, I really don't know where I stand. I mean, all of the sudden you burst in my life again, saving me from a car crash and you want me to remain here for a full year. Then the kids said you loved me and Galion-" Relieved and hurt in the meantime, Jareth abruptly sat up, releasing Sarah, when she told him about Calandra and Nathan confession about his feelings for her. 

"The kids said what?" he cut her.

"Oups… Perhaps I shouldn't have said that." Sarah was amused by his reaction: he was blushing and looked kind of agitated.

"The little scoundrels! They were spying this morning too!" Jareth was positively fuming.

"Alright, look who's talking!" Sarah replied, a smile on her lips. Now, that feelings have been said, now that he knows how I feel, now that I know how he feels, it seems so easy to talk… How weird to think that this morning I tried to kick his head away… 

Outside, if one of them had bothered to look, they would have seen the sun coming closer to the horizon, taking another day with it.

:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:

"Don't you think we should wait for them for dinner?"

"Oh, Calandra dear, I don't think they'll come down sometimes tonight."

"Yeah, eat or I'll finish all the chicken!"

"Nat! Don't be such a pig! Let me some! Daddy!!!"

A heavy sigh was heard, accompanied by a hearty boyish laugh and a indignant girly pout. 

..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..

Sarah and Jareth stayed in his study for some long hours, neither of them bothering about the time and when his stomach started to protest, Jareth, just like for lunch, conjured some food and wine. They both ate at the light of candles, talking about her mainly: Jareth wanted to know every single minutes of the time she had spent far from him. He was sitting, crossed leg, facing Sarah, his back leaning against the old armrest while Sarah was leaning in the couch's back, her legs drew behind her. 

Sarah protested that Jareth already knew all the stuff she was talking about since he used to spy on her, complaint that Jareth would wave away, telling her he wanted to hear them from her lips. He wouldn't answer any question coming from her to know what had happened to him, during the past ten years. He would shrug and ask her another question. Sarah tried to make him talk but Jareth only smiled at her efforts.

"Jareth! I've been talking of myself for hours now, and you didn't tell me anything about you and what happened here! Please, Jareth, it's your turn now!"

Jareth smiled back at her, behind the rim of his wine glass: it was as clear as day that he wouldn't say a single word.

"It's not fair!" Sarah cried out.

Jareth set the glass down on the table, next to the couch and leaned on Sarah. "I thought we already had that discussion about the 'fairness' of my actions?" 

His eyes were twinkling with mischief and the arrogant smirk wouldn't leave his lips. Having him move so close to her so fast made Sarah uncomfortable and her cheeks could compete with a tomato by their colors, despite all her effort to suppress the blush.

Jareth's grin widened as he saw her blushing, he then leaned back in the couch, taking his glass back in the process. 

Jareth was enjoying putting her ill at ease! The nerve of that man! Sarah bit angrily in her apple she had asked for dessert and avoided Jareth's laughing eyes.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Jareth observed Sarah, like he always did, except that this time, she was a barely a foot away. He watched her bit on that apple, angry and flushed. Because of him. Smiling to himself, Jareth was rather content of himself. 

At last, it showed that she wasn't frozen to his attentions. She may not be in love with him, but she certainly will if they kept on like that. It was clear that Sarah had been comfortable with him, after their reunion in the ballroom, it was clear she had grown up and recognized her mistakes, it was also clear she had found in a way or another the strength to forgive herself, put the guilt of wishing her little brother away and she had, with the maturity of an adult, thought back on his actions and on their relationship. 

The only black point in the painting was the fact she had believed he hated her. 

Bah, he had a year to make up things. A year to make her fall in love with him. He had a year to learn her faults and qualities to keep her forever with him, in here, in the Labyrinth… 

Jareth took a long sip of his drink. Sarah would never accept to leave completely the Aboveground. From the way she had spoken about her work and her newfound relationship with Karen, the deep bound she shared with Toby and the love for her father, it would be difficult to make her stay forever in the Labyrinth… 

Sooner or later, he would have to send her to the Aboveground to visit her parents and what if she chose to stay above… 

Jareth clenched his fingers around the glass, frowning, lost in his thoughts. Sarah, surprised by the intense concentration of his face, lost any appeal to her apple and watched him curiously. Jareth's hold on his glass tightened, so much in fact that the glass broke between his fingers.

"Jareth!" Sarah exclaimed as Jareth stared at his hand and at the glass shards, on the ground, wine dripping from his hand. "Are you alright?" Sarah's pale hand in comparison to his gloved ones stained with red wine, so much like the color of blood, almost shocked him: she shouldn't be touched by blood, she was an angel, for goodness' sake! His angel! Jareth raised his head to meet her gaze: her eyes glittering with concern and worry, trapping him. A candle and a moth. 

No, finally, she must be an angel of death, those who steal a man's soul and heart... 

Jareth waved his hand over the shattering glass and the wine on the ground, making the mess disappear before Sarah could grab his injured hand. 

"Jareth! Stupid! What did that poor glass do to you that you felt the need to break it, stupid!" She pulled on the glove to inspect his hand and gasped rather loudly as she discovered a deep cut running in the palm of his hand. "Jareth!" She turned her eyes back to him, alarmed, to find him smiling. "What is so funny, mister? Look, you cut yourself! Stupid, find something to bandage that."

"No need." Sarah stared blankly at him. "Take another look." Jareth encouraged her. No more cut was visible, not even a scar. Sarah, surprised, ran her fingers where his wound should have been and examined his hand under every possible angle.  

"My!! I should learn magic! I always manage to cut myself whenever I make dinner!" She said, staring at his hand, smiling softly, still in hers.

"I know." He was losing control over his feeling of lust for Sarah: her gentle fingers caressing his palm had sent a bolt of lightening through his skin, his nerves becoming way too aware of her nearness.

Sarah raised her head to take a look at him, his quiet answer startling her. It wasn't everyday the Goblin King let a chance for sarcasm pass by and not take it. His heated gaze fixed on her froze her suddenly and almost frightened her by its intensity. Now, that was stupid, no?

"Jareth." She whispered almost unconsciously as the man next to her seemed to devour her with his eyes.

Je te promets le sel au baiser de ma bouche,  
Je te promets le miel à ma main qui te touche,  
Je te promets le ciel au-dessus de ta couche,  
Des fleurs et des dentelles pour que tes nuits soient douces.

I promise you the salt to the kiss of my mouth,  
I promise the honey to my hand which touches you,  
I promise you the sky above your bed,  
Flowers and laces so that your nights are sweet.

Jareth pulled her closer, by tugging on her hand which was firmly set in his and cupped her chin with his free, pressing his lips against her in no time, his breathing turning more and more difficult. The need of having her close, the need of her lips against his was shortly overwhelming him. Her hair fell all around them, like a shield from the outside world. Inside, the two of them lost themselves in the world of each other arms.

Je te promets la clé des secrets de mon âme,  
Je te promets ma vie de mes rires à mes larmes,  
Je te promets le feu à la place des armes,  
Plus jamais des adieux rien que des au-revoirs.

I promise you the key of the secrets of my soul,  
I promise you my life from my laughter to my tears,  
I promise you the fire to the place of weapons,  
Never ever farewells only good-byes.

He teased her lips open with his tongue and when she let him in, lips firmly locked together, they fought each other for dominance. Smiling against her lips, Jareth moved his hands to her waist, he then leveled her and sat her on his lap. He deepened the kiss again as Sarah wounded her arms around his neck, shivering when she felt his arousal against her lower belly. Jareth decided to take a better look at her neck and sucked on her pulse point, her shuddering gasp filling him with pride and contentment. It didn't last for long however, as Sarah unconsciously rocked her body against him. This time, it was he, who let a gasp of pleasure escaped his lips. He clasped his hands on her back, traveling up and down her spine, making sure, in the meantime, not an inch of skin of her neck was left untouched by his starving lips. 

Je te promets des jours tout bleus comme tes veines  
Je te promets des nuits rouges comme tes rêves  
Des heures incandescentes et des minutes blanches  
Des secondes insouciantes au rythme de tes hanches

I promise you blue days as your veins  
I promise you red nights as your dreams  
Incandescent hours and white minutes  
Careless seconds at the rhythm of your hips

Sarah was riding on a sun… Jareth was infatuating her with desire and pleasure. As she moved her hips closer to his, he let a moan of desire fall and his breathing quickened, she claimed his lips again, taking advantage of his gasp of surprise. Suddenly, Sarah wanted to feel his skin against hers and his shirt was in the way: she pulled on his collar, not letting his mouth escaped her however, giving him a silent plea. Jareth smiled again when she loosened his collar to let her hands wander inside, running them on his neck and shoulders. Unable to go further, Sarah groaned in his mouth and Jareth, giving in to her demands, removed his hands around her waist and started to undress himself. 

Maybe he was too slow, maybe she was too eager, but Sarah roughly pushed the shirt down as soon as he had loosened it enough to fall off his shoulders. Her eagerness filled him with happiness and he didn't complain when she lowered her head to his neck and started to trail butterfly kisses down his throat. Her hands traveled down his torso to come back to settle on his shoulders, her fingers digging in the over-sensitive flesh when Jareth brought her close again, pressing his chest against her breasts, claiming her lips as his own again. He ran his hands under her shirt and pull it above her head, her arms getting up and Jareth took the chance of trapping her wrists in one of his, still held up in the air, above her head, leaving her neck and torso exposed to his heated gaze.

"So beautiful…" 

He trapped her mouth again, never satisfied of her, always willing to find more, to taste more, to… 

"Sarah…" 

Her name on his lips made her shiver, like never before. Oh, she had had some boyfriends but never her name had been whispered with so much intensity and power, desire hiding behind each syllable of her name. She freed her hands from his and buried them in his hair, almost white in the moonlight shining down on them.

Jareth traveled his lips down her throat to her torso, his hands supporting her as she fell backwards, letting him have a better access at her chest. He groaned when his lips found her bra, still blocking him from her breasts. Smiling deviously against her skin, he decided to tease her merciless: he ran his tongue over the material of her bra, not really touching her hard nipple, letting it unsatisfied. 

Je te promets mes bras pour porter tes angoisses  
Je te promets mes mains pour que tu les embrasses  
Je te promets mes yeux si tu ne peux plus voir  
J'te promets d'être heureux si tu n'as plus d'espoir

I promise you my arms to carry your fears  
I promise you my hands so that you kiss them  
I promise you my eyes if you can not see any more  
I promise to be happy you if you have no more hope

Sarah groaned and settled herself back in her previous position and cupped his face in her hands. "Don't tease…" she pleaded between her moans of pleasure. Jareth didn't answer and placed her on the couch, moving her so that he was on top of her, her hands never leaving his hair. She watched him, as he bent his head down on her breast, running his tongue inside her bra, this time, just above her nipples. Sarah arched in the direction of his mouth. "Jareth… please…" she moaned again. 

He managed after some fumbling to unclasp her bra, throwing it somewhere in his study, making her giggle. He caressed her face lovingly and stared down at her, supporting himself in his elbows, not to crush her under his weight. 

J'y crois comme à la terre, j'y crois comme au soleil  
J'y crois comme un enfant, comme on peut croire au ciel  
J'y crois comme à ta peau, à tes bras qui me serrent  
J'te promets une histoire différente des autres  
J'ai tant besoin d'y croire encore

I believe in it as in the earth, I believe in it as in the sun  
I believe in it as a child, as one can believe in the sky  
I believe in it as in your skin, your arms which tighten me  
I promise you a history different from the others  
I need so much to believe in it

"Sarah…" As a song to claim his love for her, Jareth repeated her name over and over again: between each of his kisses, between each of his caresses, his lips moved to say her name another time, her name turning into an ode to love… 

Sarah managed to open her eyes, the sound of her name resonated at her ears like he was telling her "I love you" each times… 

Jareth leaned on his hands, on each side of her head and looked down at her. He kissed her lightly on her lips and asked her to open her eyes again. "Sarah," he whispered, "I… I can't go further if you…" he didn't complete his sentence, but both heard it: 'if you don't love me'. He took a deep breath and added, "I don't want to rush you in anything, and I want you to take your time, to understand how you really feel." 

. It's everything or nothing with Jareth .

Sarah nodded, smiling up at him, knowing how much it must cost him to stop himself like that, to preserve her, to protect her because he loved her. A small and lonely tear fell from the corner of one of her eyes when she hugged Jareth, not in a passionate way but in a warm and caring way, trying to thank him but words failed her. Jareth buried his head in her neck and the two of them rested in each other arms, hearts above each other, not moving, Sarah lying on the red, old couch of Jareth's study, with him on top of her.

The stars twinkled gently down on them, easing Sarah confused feelings.

::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::

Some time later, the rising sun found them in Jareth's chambers, chased away by the cold wind, which decided to rise, from his study. Within the black silk sheets of Jareth's bed, Sarah lied between the arms of the Goblin King, playing with his necklace. She was still dressed in her jeans while Jareth still wore his tight black pants. They were talking in whispers; Sarah's giggles punctuating their night chat. 

"Whoa, the sun's rising…" Sarah suddenly remarked, leaving Jareth's embrace to watch the sunrise by the huge doors leading to the balcony. The mountains, in the far, left their night clothes to embrace the red and orange colors of the day star, the Labyrinth, itself, changed in less than few seconds to become more vivid than she had ever seen it: as if it was getting out of a long and peaceful slumber, the trees around it seemed to stretch and colors seemed to fly over it. 

Jareth watched Sarah gasping before the beauty of his world as he was before her. He lifted a hand to bury it in her silky strands, catching her attention and, in trance, kissed her. 

"Good morning." He whispered, wishing from the bottom of his heart to have the possibility to say these simple words again.

*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*

Jareth left her at her doorstep, he had smiled and kissed her lightly but she knew he was still hoping. Sarah watched him vanish from the corridor, turned around, sighing and entered her room.

She took a look at the room, opening the cupboards to find them empty. A small disappointment tugged her heart, disappointment that she suppressed and she closed her hand around the necklace she was wearing: the one Jareth had given her, yesterday… Yesterday. Sarah walked to the bed, on which she fell, arms outstretched, and stared at the ceiling. 

Yesterday, she had been almost crushed by a car but Jareth saved her. 

Yesterday, she thought he hated her but he told her otherwise.

Yesterday, he had been kissing her like there was no tomorrow.

Yesterday, he told her he loved her.

Sarah sighed and rolled on her side. 

So much can happen in a day.

Sarah closed her eyes and their conversation of the night before came back to her.

::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::

"Jareth," Sarah had started, snuggling closer in his arms, within the black sheets of his bed, "about what happened this afternoon…"

"Yes?" His voice sounded far away.

"Why did you run away?" She asked, looking up at him.

Jareth sighed and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. "For the same reason I didn't take you in my study, Sarah."

"Jareth?" Sarah leaned on a elbow and put a hand on his cheek. Hand that he took in his and rolled on her.

Looking down at her, her black hair spilled on the black sheets of his bed, made Jareth whispered to her, giving her his heart. "Because you're really important and dear to my heart and, I'm afraid, to my sanity, too. Sarah, I can't and I won't take you to find out in the end you don't feel the same way for me. You drive me crazy, right, but I won't." Sarah had put her arms around his neck and Jareth had rolled back on his back, bringing her with him. Sarah rested her head on his chest, comforted by the sound of his steady heartbeats.

Sarah hadn't added anything after, and Jareth had just kissed her in her hair

..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..

"Morning!!!!!!!" A cherry voice squealed suddenly, making Sarah jump in surprise. She sat up abruptly in her bed to find the twins in her bedroom, by her bed, looking at her. Calandra was wearing a deep red dress with a red ribbon in her hair while Nathan was dressed much like the day before except that his vest was as green as his eyes. 

"Cal, we should have knocked." Nathan said to his sister, in a reproaching manner. Sarah crossed her legs on her bed and smiled gently at the twins.

"It's alright, Nathan. In fact, I'm glad you're here, because I need to find a bathroom and some clothes. I can't stay here for a whole year without bathing and in these." 

Calandra and Nathan led her to the baths of the castle: in the lower grounds of the Goblin Castle was a huge heated pool with a fall and Calandra assured her there was a constant water movement so that the waters were always clean. The one Calandra led her to was the one reserved to the female guests of the Goblin King, Calandra said also that the men and women baths were separated and that the Goblins didn't have the right to come in here. While Sarah was bathing herself with Calandra, Nathan went to the Head maid of the castle, Celia, the old nanny of Jareth and Galion to ask her some clothes for Sarah. After looking in her reserve, Celia found a plain blue and white dress, with long sleeves and an assorting hat. Calandra went to retrieve the dress from Nathan and headed back to the baths where Sarah had finished to dry herself. Sarah and Calandra stepped out of the baths, Nathan was waiting for them, leaning on the wall, in front of the door. His face lit up with a beautiful smile and he bowed deeply in front of Sarah, offering her the hat. Sarah laughed and let the twins take her hands, to lead her outside. 

When the walked through the kitchen, being the shortest way to get out of the castle, Celia interrupted them. Celia was a small, old woman with pepper and salt hair, dressed in a black dress with a white apron, but the sparkle in her blue eyes showed some vitality and some energy.

"Good morning, my Lady." She bowed in front of Sarah, making her blush, while Calandra just kissed her round cheek. "My name's Celia, I'm the Head Maid of the Goblin Castle."

Sarah smiled and bowed back to Celia, not knowing at to react. Unknown to her, when Celia saw Sarah bow in front of her, the old maid decided that that Lady Sarah was a really good woman and took a great liking in her. 

"Good morning." Sarah felt stupid, in this kitchen, she was aware that all the gazes were fixed upon her, Nathan and Calandra chatting happily with Celia didn't notice Sarah's uneasiness. She could hear the maids murmuring between themselves. "It's her." 

The maids and all the kitchen staff were staring at them, but neither Calandra nor Nathan seemed to mind, well they were used to get attention whenever they went, but Sarah was extremely uncomfortable.

"Lady Sarah: the mortal girl that trapped the King's heart." 

Sarah blinked several times before it registered… So, everybody knew Jareth was in love with her. Her cheeks started to burn and Sarah fought the urge of covering her face with her hands. 

"It's her, she's gorgeous." 

"They say she defeated the Labyrinth in less than three hours."  Sarah rolled her eyes. Nine hours, people, nine hours. She thought dryly. 

"No!" 

"Yes, I tell you!" 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Three hours, really! Who spread this rumor?" Jareth was fuming alone in his study, observing Sarah in one of his crystal. He had been watching her since he had left her this morning. 

This morning. Jareth sighed and sat in his red couch. His red couch where Sarah had lied, half-naked in his arms, arching towards his hungry lips… Jareth groaned in frustration and closed his eyes, trying to cast away the bittersweet memory. Bitter because he had had to stop, sweet because he knew now he could have Sarah… Jareth sighed again and opened his eyes again. 

"You do sigh a lot lately."

Jareth gave a start at the unexpected male voice and whirled around to see Galion, sitting on the windowsill, behind him. Galion graciously jumped down and sat next to Jareth, taking the crystal from his hand. 

"How long have you been watching her, this morning?"

Jareth glared at Galion. Galion who was currently playing with his nerves. "Galion." Jareth let pass through his gritted teeth.

"Yeah?" Galion turned his head in Jareth direction and it was then, and only then, that Jareth remarked the beautiful blue bruise on Galion's jaw. And he burst in laughter. 

"Alright, my brother, I'm sorry for punching you, yesterday."

Galion grumbled a bit but accepted the apology. 

"So, how long have you been watching her today?"

"Since I left her this morning…" Jareth took the crystal back and stood up, he went to the windows and leaned one of them.

Galion looked thoughtfully at Jareth. "I think she went to the baths this morning…" A grin came to his lips. "You, sly dog, you've been watching her in her bath!" He accused Jareth, laugh twinkling in his eyes.

"As if I could…" Jareth sighed, he knew Galion had to say that. 

"What?" 

Jareth started to get mad: why in the seven hells did his brother need to watch over him like that? "Listen up, stupid, a mere kiss and all I want is to have mad sex with her for hours and so imagine what seeing her naked in her bath would cause on my system!"

"Yeah, quite true… Anyway, you're hungry? I was on my way to join the kids for breakfast. Want to come?"

"Why not?" Jareth pushed himself from the windowsill and after a last look at Sarah in the crystal ball, followed his brother.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Oblivious of the tumult they caused, Calandra exclaimed rather proudly. "Celia was Daddy's and Uncle Jar's nanny." Sarah turned her eyes to the little girl and smiled down at her.

"Really?" Sarah, amazed, turned her attention back to Celia. She remembered Galion telling her their nanny giving the longest lecture ever to Jareth. But, seeing her now in person, Sarah couldn't understand how a so small woman could scowl and have an impact on the Goblin King.

Nathan nodded proudly. "Yes, she survived where the lot before her failed. So, Celia's like our grandma." 

"Oh, young master Nathan, you shouldn't…" Celia tried to say but Nathan waved her denial away.

"Nonsense, grandma. Daddy and Uncle Jar love you. It's enough for us, isn't it Cal?"

"Yes!" His sister exclaimed happily.

Celia smiled down the children and declared softly, lighting up some beautiful smiles on the twins' faces, in the meantime. "And I love them both dearly." She then turned back to Sarah. "But, I believe you were going to the gardens?" she inquired.

"Well, I don't know, I'm just following Nathan and Calandra, here." Sarah answered, truthfully.

Calandra squealed "Yes! Oh, maybe we could have our breakfast in the garden?"

"That's why I prepared you this." Celia smiled and handed Nathan a basket covered with a white sheet.

"Oh! Thank you, grandma!" the twins said in unison.

The twins started to dig in the basket while Celia walked them to the kitchen door where they could access to the gardens directly and Sarah decided to try her luck. "Hum, please, lady Celia, do you-" 

"Oh, no, Lady Sarah, don't call me Lady." Celia interrupted her.

"Then I'll call you Celia if you call me Sarah. I'm not feeling really comfortable with all these Lady." She admitted, embarrassed. 

"Alright, but you were going to ask me something?" Celia smiled again, thinking that Jareth was a fool of not going back to this pretty lady sooner.

"Yes, do you know where I could find Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo. You see, they are dear friends of mine and I miss them terribly, I thought that maybe you knew where they were?" 

Celia smiled but before se could answer, someone else did for her. "Just call for them, Sarah. They'll come." Jareth was leaning against the wall, next to the kitchen's door, just outside. Dressed as usual with a white poet shirt and tight black pants. His black coat was outlined with golden lines running at the end of his sleeves, on the collar and on his front. Sarah smiled sweetly to him, smile that Jareth answered before being pulled downward rather abruptly by Calandra. 

"Uncle Jar!!!!! Morning!!!" She squealed in pure happiness, putting her arms around his neck, asking him silently to be hold.

"Hello, my dear." Jareth answered, complying to her wishes, and patting on Nathan's head to greet him too. Nathan only smiled back.

Calandra squeezed her godfather a little and asked in her cheery voice. "You're having breakfast with us in the garden? It's so beautiful today! Please?"

"Jareth, you know you'll give in eventually so shorten your suffering." A dry voice stated making Calandra turn around to yell. "DAAAD!!!!!" 

Galion was wearing a long black coat, over a plain red shirt and black pants. A beautiful blue bruise forming on his jaw. Jareth smirked again at the sight of the bruise, but Galion only shrugged back.

"Good morning, Nanny." Completely ignoring his daughter, Galion kissed his old nanny on her cheek. She had an eyebrow raised and was about to ask something but decided against it and rolled her eyes, in a 'I don't want to know' manner. 

Jareth kissed her too while she critically watched his from head to toe. "Well, Jareth, you don't look too bad this morning." Jareth rolled his eyes: he knew she hated the way he dressed. "Here, Galion take this." Celia handed Galion another basket, which was rested near the door. "I knew you two would join Sarah and the children." She added with a mischievous smile.

"You know us too well, Nanny." Galion bowed to her.

Nathan, still holding Sarah's hand, pulled her in the direction of the garden. "This way, Auntie Sarah." Nathan, holding the first basket Celia had given them started to drag away Sarah, leaving the others behind.

"Whoa." Galion stared at his son, pulling a laughing Sarah behind him. "I've never seen him act this way around a woman before." He told Jareth, surprise evident in his voice. Calandra turned her head to her father and threw her little arms around his neck.

"Nay, Daddy, you know we both love you dearly, now don't you?"

"Yes, Cal. But your brother's reaction is quite… surprising. From you, it'd be normal since you've always been the most open of you two. But, Nathan… Oh, well, I suppose I should just be happy?" 

"See, Uncle Jar, I told you I could do something with Daddy." Calandra turned back to Jareth after giving her father a peek on the cheek. Clung on Jareth's neck, she looked critically at her father. "By the way, Daddy, what happened to you?"

Nathan and Sarah turned around to look at Jareth, Calandra and Galion when Jareth's deep laugh reached them. The Goblin King was still holding Calandra and was laughing heartily while Galion tried to pout at Calandra, making the little girl laughed with her godfather. Nathan and Sarah looked at themselves, not really understanding what was going on.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Jareth and Galion had breakfast with Sarah and the twins, but they left shortly after to attend to some kingdom affairs, which Galion said to no one in particular Jareth seemed to forget these times. This remark earned him a dirty look from Jareth, who, when Sarah wasn't paying attention, stole a kiss from her and vanished from the garden. Galion smirked and vanished after Jareth. Sarah's flushed face made the twins wink at each others and they proposed her to do the grand tour of the castle. Sarah tried to forget how sweet Jareth had been to her during breakfast, sitting next to her, brushing her hands, sending hot shivers down her spine. He had complimented her on the dress, telling her it suited her and that he would ask Celia to have several dresses done for her. Sarah had tried to talk him out if this idea but he retorted that if she was to stay with him for a year, she should have more than a dress.  

Sarah agreed heartily to the tour, pushing thoughts about a disturbing, flirting Goblin King, far away in her mind, and, after bringing back the basket and what remained from their breakfast to Celia, the twins led her in the castle. They made her visit each room that was worth a peek, from the huge, common kitchen to the king's private library. 

Then, they took another tour in the garden, this time letting Sarah admired it.

Nathan and Calandra knew everything about the castle or the garden. According to them, the garden were Jareth's mother. "Uncle Jar said it's his mother who tended the garden, before. Now, it's Celia. Uncle Jar once told us his mother used to take him and Daddy everyday to her favorite spot in the garden to read them some stories or just talk to them."

"Really?" Sarah realized how little she knew of Jareth and his life. How he became the Goblin King… How his parents died… How he spent his time… 

Calandra, not noticing her sadness, kept on. "Yeah, Uncle Jar also said she had to make this a tradition because she was a Queen and didn't have much time to share with them. We never knew her." 

Sarah remembered Galion's words, when he was talking about Jareth and his childhood. Again, she knew so little of him. Wind blew gently on them and Sarah suddenly felt nostalgic, she grabbed the twins' hands and asked them, playfully. "Hey, you two, want to meet some of my oldest and dearest friends?"

Nathan and Calandra nodded at each other, before turning to Sarah, wide grin playing on their lips, telling her in unison. "YES!!"

Sarah winked back at them and stood up. Jareth had told her just to call them… Oh, well, it has always worked before, why would it be different today? Sarah focused on the image of a dwarf, a small fox and a big monster with the heart of the child and called them.

"Hoggle. Sir Didymus. Ludo. Please, come and visit me."

The twins waited, grinning back at each other, rather excited about meeting some of Sarah's friends, when a rough voice, on their left, which sounded surprised caught their attention. 

"Sarah?" Sarah whirled around at the sound of her name to find Hoggle with eyes at the size of a saucer staring back at her. "What are you doing here, in the Labyrinth?" Sarah squealed and let go of the twins' hands.

"Hoggle!" Sarah ran to her friend to catch him a warm hug, which Hoggle returned quite mechanically. 

Ludo came closer to Sarah and caught her in his arms. "Sawah friend?"

"Ludo!" Sarah laughed and hugged him back, while Sir Didymus bowed in front of her.

"Lady Sarah, it is so good to see your beautiful face again, I must say." 

"Sir Didymus!" She took the small fox in her arms too and hugged him. 

"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Hoggle asked her again. 

"I'll explain later, Hoggle, first I'd like you to meet Nathan and Calandra." Calandra was holding on her brother's arm, hiding behind him. Sarah remembered how the little girl had been all shy the first time she had met her but she had liven it up in few minutes after. 

They were all standing near a small pond, surrounded by trees, from which purple and pink flower were falling on the water, giving to the scenery a mist of magic and royalty. The sunlight bathed the place and the small group decided to settle near the pond. Nathan and Calandra had got a great liking of Ludo and they were playing with the giant beast and when Sir Didymus went to join them, Hoggle sat resolutely next to Sarah. He crossed his arms on his chest and glared at her. "Alright, Sarah, now we're alone. I want to know why you're here."

Sarah had to smile. Hoggle was one of her closest friend and with the time, he had developed a great protectiveness towards her. "You told Sir Didymus to play with Nathan and Calandra, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. He, too, wants to know why you're here. So?"

"Oh, Hoggle, don't worry. Everything fine. Jareth only gave me some… thinking to do."

"Thinking?"

Sarah bent her head, her black hair covering her face again. "He told me he loved me." She said quickly in a whisper. 

Hoggle stared at her in surprise: the Goblin King had told her he loved her? He tried to say something, but his voice failed him. "Oh, excuse me, sir Hoggle, but my king is able of love." Celia stepped out of the shadows and approached Sarah and Hoggle, holding a basket with some fruits, cakes and drinks in it. She put it down and glared at Hoggle who backed away, visibly impressed by the woman. Celia radiated with authority and with the aura of someone with whom you'd better be friend with than enemy.

"Hoggle, this is Celia, Jareth's old nanny and Celia, this is Hoggle."

"Hello." Hoggle stammered while Celia sat down, Hoggle was positively frozen and Sarah couldn't help but smile. Maybe, that was how she managed to lecture Jareth . Calandra at that moment noticed her and squealed. 

"GRANDMA!!!!" She ran to Celia for a hug, laughing as Ludo started to run after her. Celia, with a smile, distributed the cakes and fruits and handed to everyone a goblet to pour them some fruit juices. The twins dragged Sir Didymus and Ludo back in their game and Celia started to gather her things to leave, but Sarah stopped her.

"Please, Celia, stay with us." 

Hoggle made a strange noise, which sounded like a squeal of fear, but when Sarah turned to him, all he could do was shake his head. Celia looked rather amused and said. "Knowing Jareth, I'm sure he likes to play tricks on you." Sarah laughed again, much to Hoggle dismay. 

Celia settled herself comfortably against a tree and looked at Sarah, waiting for the latter to speak.

"Well, I wanted to know what happened after…" She was about to say 'after I defeated Jareth' but thought otherwise and hastily changed. "After I left." But her little hesitation didn't escape Celia and the older woman smiled. So Jareth is finally following my advices. Good. 

"Well, I won't lie to you, Sarah: the Labyrinth was a hell." Hoggle spat rather bluntly.

Celia looked confused for a while and asked her two companions. "Heu, excuse me, but I thought you two visited each other frequently."

Sarah smiled bitterly and answered first "Yes, but Hoggle made me promise not to ask him how life in the Labyrinth was, unless I was actually sitting with him in the Labyrinth."

"Yeah, I knew if I told her how it was, she'd felt guilty."  Hoggle added.

Sarah turned back to Hoggle, a vague feeling of guiltiness coming to her… She thought she knew why the Labyrinth had turned into a living hell, but still she hoped it wasn't… "What do you mean a hell, Hoggle?"

"Well, the Labyrinth became erratic. I mean, sometimes it'd just grow ten times bigger that it already was, sometimes it'd just go back to its normal size. And then, a day, strange beats started to come out of it and all the War Lords of the Underground had to come to fight them off. And no one knew where Jareth was."

Celia looked indignant and cut Hoggle. "We knew where he was! It was just that none of the War Lords dared to speak to him. Well, except Galion."

 "Whatever."  Hoggle shrugged her denial away and kept on. "Anyway, after a time, the Labyrinth turned back to normal. And that's it." 

Sarah bent her head, and in a whisper, inquired. "How come it happened?" 

Celia sensed her distress and put a warm hand on hers, firmly clenched in her lap. "Well, Sarah, you have to understand who the Goblin King truly is. He is the most feared monarch of the whole Underground because he is the Goblin King. The Labyrinth is an extension of his soul, do you understand?"

Sarah looked up, thoughtful. "You mean, when I left he…" 

"Yes, he was a wreck as Galion says it and so we had to do something. Galion and I managed to knock some sense back in Jareth's head and he got his emotions back in control. That's why Jareth is so feared in the Fae Court because no one had ever had so much power on his lands, not even my former king, the King Obsidian." Celia nodded to her.

"But, why is Jareth so linked to the Labyrinth?" Sarah sounded desperate. She hoped nobody was hurt because of her.

"I don't know, honest. His father was like that too. Maybe it's in his family." Hoggle answered.

"Sarah, you shouldn't feel guilty. It happened ten years ago. It's the past, put it behind you." Celia smiled reassuringly to Sarah, squeezing her hand. Sarah was glad she had asked Celia to stay and smiled back to the older woman. A loud squeal snap the three of them out of their gloomy mood and they all turned their attention to Calandra, the one that was squealing, like usual, as Ludo threw her in the air and caught her to throw her again. Calandra was laughing and Nathan was playing a swordfight with Sir Didymus with stick of wood for weapons.

Sarah followed them with her eyes and again, she wondered about the twins' mother. "Celia?"

"Yes?" Celia turned to Sarah again.

"What happened to the twins' mother? Jareth told me she died, but it doesn't explain why they are so shy around strangers."

"She was called Emerald." Hoggle answered, his eyes still on Calandra and Nathan.

"You know what happened to her, Hoggle?"

Hoggle nodded and said. "Everybody here, in the Underground , knows about Lady Emerald, the woman who was loved by the strongest and most influent War Lords of the Underground and by the feared Goblin King." 

"Jareth?" Sarah couldn't believe her ears. But again, she knew so little of Jareth… And she chose to ignore a little pang of jealousy, which caught her heart.  

"Yes. It happened shortly after King Jareth's mother's death, Queen Lillianna. It was well known that the King was extremely close to his mother and so when she died his only left family was Galion, War Lord of the West." Celia sighed and her gaze became thoughtful, lost in her memories. Her voice became a whisper and sadness covered her face. 

"Galion was in love with Lady Emerald, a High Elf princess and Jareth, who had never met her, hated her because he felt like she was 'stealing' his brother from him. Jareth met her during a ball, given by Lady Emerald's Uncle, the High Elf King of Terra, Obsidian. I am a High Elf too." Celia smiled softly to Sarah's started face. "We have a humanoid form and no long ears, like you mortals like to think, but we do have a close relationship with the Earth and Terra." 

Her eyes went vague again, and Celia kept on telling her story to Sarah. "Anyway, during the ball, everyone saw that Jareth was extremely harsh to her, the domestics I know from the castle all complained to me about my charge. They all said he was horrible to her but I couldn't do anything, you see, I raised Jareth, and I knew what he was feeling..."  A short silence cut her story and Sarah wondered how much pain the fact of telling this story cost to Celia, she felt guilty for bringing back the memories and bit her lower lip in embarrassment. Celia put her hand on one of Sarah's and squeezed it. 

"Someone has to tell you, Jareth and Galion can't and it's better if you heard it from me than from someone else." Celia sighed again while Hoggle grumbled his agreement, and before Sarah could talk she began:

"But Lady Emerald was well-known for her sweet and caring nature and also for her great wisdom and, so she immediately understood what Jareth was truly feeling: he was hurting after his mother's death and his brother was being taken away too. It was just the reaction of an extremely jealous little brother who cared a lot for his older brother and so, despite all the mean things Jareth did or told her, she still showed him care and affection. This lasted for weeks, Jareth never missing an opportunity to be mean to her, behind Galion's back of course." Celia smiled bitterly and shook her head. "The scoundrel was really harsh to her, even I couldn't stop him, but she kept on showing care for him, whenever he would arrive at her place, unannounced, she would smile and welcome him."

"Galion was, technically speaking, from a lower rank that Emerald so the only way for him to marry her was either with Jareth's support or Obsidian, Emerald's uncle, had to recognize him as worthy for his niece. But the King of Terra would have never done that at that time, because he didn't have children on his own so Emerald was his only potential heir." 

"So, the only way for Galion was to ask for Jareth's help, I think it was then that Jareth understood he too had fallen in love with Lady Emerald. But, he loved his brother too and he knew Emerald was head over heels for Galion so, heartbroken, he supported Galion when the latter asked for Emerald's hand to her Uncle." Sarah felt her heart tightened with sadness for Jareth… Jareth was in love with a woman he couldn't have, because she loved his brother.

"And so Emerald and Galion were engaged. Jareth never told any of them his true feelings and he hid them from both Emerald and Galion, turning bitter and sarcastic to everyone. And this led to the biggest argument between the two brothers: Galion blaming Jareth for acting like a spoiled child and Jareth telling him Galion didn't understand him anymore." 

"But a civil war burst in Terra, and Galion being a War Lord and engaged to Emerald left to Terra, never resolving the argument. Since Emerald was the heir, it was too dangerous for her to stay in Terra so she was sent to the safest place of the whole Underground…"

"Here, under Jareth's care." Sarah whispered.

"Yes, she was sent here, in the Labyrinth. I remember Jareth's horrified face when he heard the council decision, but he could only accept and so Emerald arrived. Jareth was under torture, he would come in my room, late at night, feverish, asking for help and all I could do was to take him back to his bed and rock him like I used to do when he was a child till he fell asleep." 

"He avoided Emerald as much as he could, but… Emerald was, after all, only a human so she didn't understand Jareth's distant manners. With him giving support to Galion, she had concluded he had finished by accept her in his family as his brother's wife. And so, one day, she confronted him, telling him she didn't understand why he was avoiding her." 

"Jareth lost his temper, yelling she never understood him in the first place because everyone had always loved her while he was feared because of who he was, the Heir of the Goblin Throne, because of his strange mismatched eyes, people either make fun at him or run away from him. And Emerald understood: she was one of the few who showed him love without caring on what he was and because of that he had fallen helplessly in love with her." Celia stared into space, as if looking at events of the past.

"I remember that day. Jareth's turmoil created a storm, one of the strongest that has ever hit the Labyrinth, and Emerald ran away under the rain, feeling guilty because she had created a rift between the two brothers."

"Jareth ran after her and called Galion for help. Galion was in the middle of a battle, but at Jareth's anguished cries, he came immediately. Jareth only told him Emerald had ran away and the two of them took after her. When they found her, she was crying and she was asking for Jareth's forgiveness, but Jareth told her that there was nothing to forgive because there was no harm done. I think Galion understood what was going on at that moment but he never blame Jareth and none of them ever spoke of Jareth's feelings for Emerald."

"Soon after, the civil war was suppressed and Galion married Emerald. Jareth gave them some lands and a castle on his western coast. Emerald gave birth to Nathan and Calandra and Jareth was chosen to be the godfather of the twins. He spoiled them and he still does, loving them as his owns but Emerald was weak by nature, she would catch a cold quite easily and after that night in the rain, she was sick for several weeks." 

"Because of her weak nature, the doctor advised her not to carry any more children but she wanted another child and so she hid her next pregnancy to Galion not to worry him. But, during her second month, she had a miscarriage. Jareth was there but Galion was away in an important diplomatic mission  and because of the importance of this mission, she forbid Jareth to call for Galion." 

"I was there too, Jareth had brought me along because he thought I could save her but she was losing too much blood: there was nothing I could do. I saw Emerald smile weakly to Jareth and ask him to take care of her children and of her husband and she died shortly after Jareth's promise to her, smiling softly. Galion tried to kill himself several times when Jareth told him. But each times, Jareth stop him, because of his promise to Emerald. The twins were around six of your mortals years, but they were clever and really sensitive for kids of their age, they understood that their mother was gone and…"

"That's when they developed their strange way of speaking, I guess. I mean the words of one starts in one of them mouth to be finished in the other's one."

"Yes, how do you know?" Celia was the one surprise, that time.

"Yesterday, Jareth scowled them because they left the castle without telling anyone and Calandra was deeply hurt."

"Hum, Calandra loves Jareth deeply, a scowl from him and her world is destroyed. I've already told Jareth about this problem, but Jareth's only shrugged. Anyway to finish with my story, The King of Terra, who is blessed with the power of the Earth and so as the monarch of Terra, wanted to know how it happened and he used Vision of Terra: it's a power that permits him to see through the past. Shortly after using the Vision of Terra, he summoned Jareth and thank him in front of his whole court for his unrequited love he nourished for Emerald." 

"Obsidian also asked Jareth if Galion knew, but before Jareth could answer, Galion stepped forward and answered that he and Jareth were closer than brothers, that Jareth was almost the other half of his soul, like Galion was his. The King of Terra then smiled and said he whished his people to remember Emerald as she was beautiful in both heart and body. Jareth said it would be nice and left, without looking above his shoulder. I think Obsidian had first wanted to blame his niece's death on Jareth, that's why he summoned him in front of his whole court but, thanks to Galion and his intervention, Obsidian came back to his senses."

"The legend says that three days later, a ballad was placed on the King of Terra desk by the wind, a ballad telling the story of the three of them: Emerald, Galion and Jareth. Since then, the whole Underground knows this story and it was turned into a legend. Nobody knows who wrote the song, maybe the King of Terra knows but he refused to tell anybody." 

Lost in the story, Sarah felt her heart go to Jareth and she asked Celia softly "Could sing it for me?"

"I don't think it'd be really wise." Celia turned her head briefly towards the twins who were still playing and Sarah nodded, "Yes, you're right, it'd only bring back painful memories to them."

End part 5.

Alright people I need somebody to write this ballad for me. I tried several times but I'm really bad at writing songs, I think I'll stick at stories so if anyone thinks he or she can write the story between Emerald, Jareth and Galion into a song, please feel free. I even may use it in the next parts of this story or in a side-story. I love songs a lot, you may have noticed. Sometimes, I think a song can express feelings much easier than any speech… I'm way too romantic, sometimes… Oh, and what is A.S.A.C? Sorry if I sound dumb, but I really don't know what it is… 

Anyway. Thanks a lot for reviewing, commenting, caring enough to review! BTW, I forgot to write this down, in the part  before, but you're damn right, Silver Space, why little kids have to be so difficult sometimes?


	6. A problem of trust

Oh, my god! I posted a chapter!? What the hell happened to me? … In fact, I'm trying to tell you, guys, that I'm sorry for not posting earlier.

Yes, yes, I know, I said I'd study for my exams but I couldn't help writing!!!! Wah! Why don't they create a 'fan fiction exam'? I'm sure I'll be able to have an average grade in that kind of course!!!! Oh, my god! I can't believe I wrote that. BTW, part 7 is already in work! No! I should work on my math… Oh, why bother, I know I'll end up writing this story. 

**IMPORTANT NOTE: ** If you can write Jareth's, Emerald's and Galion's ballad, please go ahead! No need to ask and when it's done, send it to me and I'll choose the best!!!! (my god! It sounds like a contest!) 

Oh, and yes, I'm French!!!!!! ^_______^ Et fière de l'être. 

Disclaimers: yes, yes, I don't own the Labyrinth. What a pity, though. The song belongs to a French singer called Gerald De Palmas.

A problem of trust.

_____________________________________

Celia left them shortly after, leaving Sarah and Hoggle sitting next to one another, still watching Calandra and Nathan playing with Sir Didymus and Ludo. Sarah's heart ached in a strange way: for Jareth, first, but also for Galion and his children.   
Well, in fact, it wasn't actually a strange way; maybe, it was the fact of them having something she wasn't part of. Sarah suddenly shook her head. You, stupid, you can't expect them to have no life before you! Stupid… Sarah sighed. Why was it so annoying not to be more involved in their lives? In… Jareth's life?

Sensing her melancholy, Hoggle started to chat about anything, and Sarah, glad of his interruption of her gloomy thoughts, started to chat with him, as heartily as she had in her young years, pushing her annoying thoughts on a cocky Goblin King far in her mind.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Celia came back around noon with some strong goblins carrying a long table, others carrying chairs while the smallest of them brought food and glasses. Under Celia's directive, they settled the table and dressed it for a nice lunch besides the pond. Sarah watched, surprised, the first goblins she's seen since she had came back to the Labyrinth: they looked taller and calmer… Well, maybe, they were behaving because Celia kept on promising them a swim in the Bog if one glass was broken. A smile on her lips, Sarah stood up and made her way to Celia, Hoggle following her. Some small goblins came running and laughing, encircling shortly Calandra and Nathan, pulling on Ludo's arms, half of them asking too to be lifted like he did with Calandra while the other half ran to organize a small war with Sir Didymus and Nathan.   
Sarah couldn't believe her eyes: these small goblins looked so much like the humans children… A sad thought ran through her mind, her smile turning bitter. Well, maybe they were humans, before, some unwanted children the Goblin King took away. Some unwanted children...   
She clenched her fists and stopped abruptly. Hoggle, looking at the children too, didn't realize her halt and bumped in her. Sarah whirled around.

"Oh, Hoggle. I'm sorry."

Hoggle rub his brow and answered. "Nay. It's alright, I was being silly, not looking where I was going."  
"My thoughts exactly, Hogbrain. You've confessed yourself in being stupid." A amused voice made Hoggle and Sarah turn around to find the Goblin King, an insolent smile on his perfect lips, leaning against a tree, his arms crossed on his broad chest. His cap flowed around him like water as he moved towards the pair. Hoggle grunted back and the little dwarf, stubbornly, crossed his arms and glared at his grinning King.   
A squeal from Calandra attracted Sarah's attention and she drifted her eyes back to the little girl: Galion was there, laughing, small goblins trying to climb on his back while Calandra, from Ludo's shoulders yelled something happily. Sarah only took notice of Jareth's approach when Hoggle poked her in the arm. Sarah turned back to Jareth and her eyes froze him on the spot. 

A stupid comment on the whatever-his-name-was dwarf on the lips, Jareth stood rotten to the ground when Sarah turned to him: she looked like she was ready to cry. But she was only looking at Galion making a fool of himself among the brats… Jareth nervously cast a glance at the children but nothing was wrong, there. Nothing to cause such infinite sadness in her eyes.   
"Sarah?" Throat dry, Jareth tried to touch her but she backed away. Hurt shone in his mismatched eyes and he dropped his hands in defeat.  
Sensing something wrong, Hoggle turned to look at the human woman behind him. "Sarah?" he repeated, surprised and shocked by her sudden behavior.  
Sarah didn't answer: she could only look at Jareth or rather at the Goblin King. He, who took the unwanted children of the Aboveground, he, who stole babies from their cribs, he, who ruled the Labyrinth…    
"Where are these children from?" she demanded, her face paler than never.  
Jareth blinked, a bit taken by her question. "Children?" he asked, then a cocky grin came back on his lips. "Well, Sarah, I think you're old enough to know…" He tried to lighten up the mood, but Sarah snapped at him.  
"Jareth! Did you take children from the Aboveground to turn them into goblins?"

So, that's it. Jareth smiled inwardly and pulled an unwilling Sarah in his embrace and murmured in her ear. "Sarah… I don't turn the children into goblins. It's already hard enough on me, so on another being." He joked, a little laugh building in his throat. His voice dropped an octave, making it sound husky and reminded Sarah of another moment like that, when he had held her, why couldn't she trust him more than that?  
"I give them." He whispered, his hot breath on her neck, making her shiver in his arms. "Fae can live as long as they wants, but in exchange, Nature made child birth difficult and most of the time deadly. Rare are the Fae females that can give their husbands offspring: that's why I 'steal' the small children and I must say, that they are surely happier here than they could ever be above."   
Her mouth against his shoulder, she mumbled. "You never turn any child into a goblin?"  
Jareth held her tighter and whispered so that only her could hear. "I would have never turned Toby in a goblin, Sarah." He squeezed her a little and turned his head to Hoggle, still staring at them. "Higglest, get out of the way and make yourself useful for once: go help Celia." He scowled the dwarf who only grunted back but did as he was told, however, Hoggle promised himself that Sarah was in for a questioning and a hard and long one. What the hell was she doing in Jareth's arms?

::::_______::::_________::::_________::::

Sarah fought back some tears and bit her lower lip. "But, I thought you said…"  
"I didn't. You thought so, but I didn't. I never lie, Sarah. Hide things, yes, but lie, never." One of his arms still encircling her waist, his other hand cupped her chin to force Sarah to look at him in the eyes.  
Hers shone with tears, but she managed to smile softly to him and whispered. "Isn't hiding a form of lying too?"  
Jareth burst in laughter and hugged her tighter.  
"Jareth, I have to go to the Aboveground tomorrow. Today, it's Thursday and I…" Sarah started to explain, her head rested on Jareth's shoulder.  
He squeezed her a little and closed his eyes, his cheek against the softness of her hair. "I know, you have to be at your parents' tomorrow night. I'll go with you." He whispered, lost in his world, begging from the bottom of his heart Time to stop.  
A pregnant pause stood between them before the words made sense to Sarah and that she managed to caw. "What?"   
"I'll go with you." He said again, inwardly amused by her blank expression.  
Sarah withdrew from his embrace and started to scowl at him. "Jareth. This is not a…"  
Disappointed and feeling suddenly swallow when Sarah left his arms, Jareth pouted at her and managed quite nicely because Sarah didn't resist when he took her back in his arms. "What? I've only been under my owl form Aboveground. I'd like to go there as a human for once."  
Sarah sighed heavily and rolled her eyes heavenward. "Oh, do whatever you'll want. I guess no matter what I'll say, you'd come."  
Jareth smiled like a small child who had just been given a candy and brushed his nose with her, making her face turn crimson, saying. "Ah, you finally understood that it's useless to fight me because you've understood that you'll give in… Eventually." Sarah turned her face away, while his eyes twinkled with secret, watching her turning redder at the double meaning of his words, his face lit up with a joyous smile.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sarah was exhausted as she collapsed on her bed, in the chambers Jareth gave her. He had made her change room and now she was no longer in the guest wing of the castle but in the royal wing. Her room was even bigger than the first one and her bed was embedded in the opposite wall of the main door, in an alcove, giving it an air of hidden secrets and intimacy. Red curtains were draped around the alcove, ready to be pulled on to hide whoever would take refuge in the bed, within the dark red sheets made of silk.   
Sarah sat up in her bed, running thoughtfully a hand on the sheets: red was the color of blood as the color of passion and men, her bed sheets and curtains were definitely masculine but, a bed in an alcove was quite a feminine gesture. Sarah smiled lazily as she fell back in the bed: it was an alliance of the masculinity and the femininity. A bed made for two. A bed for a married couple. Was Jareth trying to tell something again?   
Sarah rolled in her bed like an excited child, smiling and sighing dreamily. All afternoon, Jareth had been… wonderful.

 Always by her side, a hand on the little of her back or playing with the end of her hair, or when Galion was busy with his children, when nobody was looking, Jareth would plant a kiss in her hair.  
Sarah rolled on her side, smiling at the memory of Jareth glaring and cursing a laughing Galion, an angry fist raised in his direction, because the older man was making fun of Jareth: Galion was teasing Jareth merciless about him fearing that Sarah would be taken away be the wind, by the way he was holding her.   
But thanks to Jareth's presence, Hoggle had been unable to question her further, and she knew he wanted too! But Sarah wasn't ready to tell him. Not yet. She didn't want Hoggle to be angry with Jareth for the stupid deal: after all, if he wanted her to stay he could have asked, not force her, right?  
Besides, if Hoggle had asked her how she was feeling around the Goblin King, Sarah didn't know what she would have answered.

Sighing again, Sarah sat up in her bed and took a look at her new room: it was huge with a fireplace on her right, with shelves crumbling under books around it. In front of the fireplace, a dark brown leather couch with two leather chairs next to it, with red pillows on it. Unlike in the other room, here the walls were covered with paintings: sceneries of places she didn't know, but it was the painting with an impossible waterfall, with floating rocks all around it that attracted her attention. She climbed out of the bed and walked to observe the painting more closely. It was rather small, comparing to the others and a little childish to. At the bottom of the painting, almost hidden by the frame, a little 'J' could be seen.  
No way. It can't be Jareth who did this! Sarah laughed, trying to imagine Jareth, the mighty Goblin King, painting this, covered with blue and yellow on his hands. 

She was so lost in her musings that she didn't hear one of the two doors framing her bed open nor did she hear Jareth walking behind her.   
Sarah gave a start when a pair of strong hands fell on her shoulders, steadying her.  
Sarah whirled around. "Jareth!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on her racing heart. "You scared the hell out of me! Don't sneak on me like that!" Jareth only smiled back at her and Sarah knew he was enjoying surprising her. When Sarah scowled him, making his smile widen, Jareth finally give in his envy of laugh. After a while, Sarah's laugh joined his and she playfully slapped him on the arm. Jareth caught her hand and locking his eyes with hers, he brought it to his lips for a small kiss, as an excuse. Jareth bowed insolently at her when she gasped and looked up at the painting that was capturing her, making him  frown on the instant.   
"What…" he started. "The sly bastard!" Jareth was angry and was scowling at the painting. Sarah, startled, turned to the painting again and then to Jareth, a small smile crossing her lips. She walked to stand on Jareth's side and tiptoed so that her mouth was just next to his ear.  Her actions were all unnoticed by Jareth as he was still busy scowling at the poor painting.   
"So, you're truly the one who did this painting." Jareth jumped in surprise, when Sarah's low voice reached him. He quickly turned around, but she had already backed away, giggling at his surprised face. "I think I should thank Galion for showing me your talent for painting." She added, enjoying the fact that for once, she was the one teasing him.  
"Not if I put my hands on him first." Jareth grumbled back, walking in her direction, but Sarah escaped his reaching hand again, as she ran, giggling, putting the couch between herself and Jareth, who put his hands on his hips, his eyebrows up, a small playful smile on his handsome lips.   
"So, you want to play?" He asked her, leaning forward and Sarah gasped at the picture he made: almost dangerous, but obviously in a playful mood, his body radiating with a sensual tension: a great wildcat. "And," he kept on, his voice turning husky, "what will you give me if I catch you?" 

Sarah shivered under his heated gaze as his eyes roamed up and down her, as if he could see through the material of her dress. She swallowed hard, her hands suddenly sweaty, her throat dry and her heart starting to beat at a much faster pace than normal, and she backed away when he took a step forward. "What is it, Sarah?" He asked her, his eyes gleaming. "If you keep this up, I will end up thinking you're scared of me… Or of what I could do to your sweet body…" He added in a whisper. And he vanished.   
"What?" Startled, Sarah turned around but nobody was behind her, just an empty fireplace. She turned around again to find Jareth, standing barely an inch from her. He quickly closed his arms around her, his hot breath teasing her neck.

Si tu veux rester, parfait  
Si tu veux partir, je te suivrai  
Si tu veux parler, j'écouterai  
Et si tu veux dormir, je me tairai  
Si tu veux de l'or, prends le mien  
Si tu es d'accord, moi, je ne veux rien

If you want to stay, perfect   
If you want to leave, I shall follow you   
If you want to speak, I shall listen   
And if you want to sleep, I shall keep silent   
If you want some gold, take mine   
If you agree , me, I want nothing

Her heart beating crazily, Sarah couldn't bring herself to look at Jareth.   
"I know what I want from you, Sarah." His mouth came closer to her neck and his breathing became faster, his voice raw and hoarse.  "Little tease, push me away or else I will take you right here, right now." He added almost painfully, his grip on her becoming almost painful. "Sarah…" he warned again as she made no move to answer his plea. Sarah's breathing became ragged, her heart was beating painfully in her chest and she finally looked up to lock her gaze with his, whispering too.   
"Then," she asked him, "it should be alright if I want you to, no?"

Si tu veux ma peau, pas de problème  
Je t'aime

If you want to skin me alive, no problem  
I love you

Shock stopped Jareth's blood in its course in his veins, then, all of the sudden, its rush resonated in his ears and Sarah felt him tremble. She managed to entangle her arms from his firm grip to wound them around his neck.   
"Sarah…" He dropped his head in the hollow of her shoulder and mumbled,  "Do you know why I never tried to seduce you when you were still Aboveground? Despite what I feel for you, I knew if I had you back in my life, I mean talking with you, touching you, I knew I'd turn mad if you refused me." He shivered again and Sarah held him tighter, she closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his slender neck, her fingers, burying themselves in the soft, fair hair.  
I would even now, if you ever leave me one day.   
"Elders say it's better to keep temptation out of reach. Sarah, I told you I'd be your slave once, well, I'm afraid I already am. Push me away now, or else I don't think I'll be able to stop myself today." 

Si tu te demandes pourquoi  
Je ne pleure pas  
Quand tu te fous de moi  
C'est que tu n'as jamais connu  
L'amour qui se donne à corps perdu  
Non, ne sois pas triste pour moi  
La plus à plaindre dans l'histoire  
C'est toi

If you wonder   
Why I do not cry   
When you laugh at me   
It's that you've never known   
The love which gives itself to lost body   
No, don't be sad for me   
The one to pity in the story   
It's you

Sarah tugged on his neck and moved her trembling lips closer to his, timidly, slowly. It was a mere brush of lips against lips, ones trembling and shy, others waiting eagerly but more than willing to let the first ones go till the end. The oxygen in his lungs became scarce as soon as the velvet of her rosy lips touched his. Jareth let Sarah lead the game: he didn't give in the urge to explore her mouth more intimately; he didn't let his hands wander helplessly down her infuriating body.   
Sarah withdrew a little her gaze fixed on his perfect lips and, as if she was wondering if she still had his taste of her lips, she licked them almost absentminded. Seeing the small pink tongue darting out her mouth to lick her own lips, like a hungry cat before a cup of cream, sent a bolt of lightening through Jareth's system, and through his half-open lips, his breathing became ragged while his heart was knocking like crazy in his ribcage.   
To hell with what would happened to him if she told him no in the end, out of the window his fool promises to himself to wait for her, to hell with the consequences: he just couldn't resist her.   
God, he thought, she's only here since yesterday. Yesterday… And I'm already dead.

Ma vie n'est plus, plus un problème  
Je t'aime

My life is no longer a problem  
I love you

Jareth couldn't take it any longer. With a howl, like one of a wounded to death wild animal, he captured her lips in a kiss that tugged painfully on Sarah's heart. He bit her lower lip, just enough to hurt her a little before sucking on it, making her moan in surrender. The dual dance of their bodies and tongues led them, tumbling on the bed: Sarah holding tight on his collar to keep his mouth locked to hers while he forced her to move back.   
Sarah fell backwards on the bed but she immediately raised her hands towards Jareth to pull him to her. Jareth took her hands in his, drinking in her sight: her long hair spilling on the red silk sheets before him, her fluttered cheeks from passion and desire she felt for him, her red lips from his kisses, her sweet body aching for his caresses. For him, because of him. With a moan of defeat, Jareth climbed on the bed, claiming Sarah's lips again.   
I'll take what you'll give to me. No matter what it'll cost me. I'm giving myself to you.   
Jareth's fingers enlaced with Sarah's as he lied on top of her, one of his knees, slowly, teasingly parting her legs, keeping her hands captive in his grip. Against his mouth, he felt Sarah's lips turning into a small grin but he couldn't wonder a long time on it as she brought her hips up against his and brushed herself against his thick manhood. In a delighted shock, Jareth suddenly let go of her torturing mouth to let a pain groan of pleasure escaped his lips, as he started to sweat.   
"Witch." He slanted her mouth like a man who has just found some water after days and days in the desert. He grabbed her by her armpits and pulled her further in the bed while Sarah was busy, trying to pull his coat out of her way. Her fingers ran, impatient, on his tense shoulders, inside his coat and on his broad chest.  
Jareth brought one of her knees around his waist and Sarah obliged him, bringing the other, closing her legs around his waist, her blue skirt revealing her slim and pale, long legs.   
"You're going to pay for this small joke, Sarah." He promised her against her throat and without giving her time to do anything, fully clothed, his coat only half way down his arms, he began to move against her. Sarah's eyes widened and she whimpered in the sweet torture he was doing to her, clasping her fingers in his flesh. "Ja…Ja…" she tried to call his name but she suddenly bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut, the pleasure slowly overwhelming her. She arched her swan-like neck in his direction, shuddering under his teasing moves.  She was growing hotter and hotter, light, where Jareth was touching her, was filling her, surrounding her, trapping her… She started to pant and began to feel uncomfortable in her way too warm dress.  
His fingers trembling, his body slowly overpowering his will, Jareth bent his mouth to the material of her short sleeve, which he took between his teeth and pulled it down, slowly, slowing down the movement of his hips in the meantime.   
Panting, Sarah lifted her heavy lids to look at him: eyes closed, sweat glistening on his forehead, busy bringing her left sleeve down with his mouth. Sarah planted a kiss on his cheek, startling him and when he turned his face to her, Sarah felt the world around her vanished to be resumed in the man holding her.   
"Jareth," she whispered, "make love to me." 

-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-

Tossed clothes lying here and there in the room, an engrossed couple, lied naked under the red sheets of the bed, the man was playing with the woman's hand, entwining it with his own, turning it in his palm, kissing its knuckles while the woman, her head resting on his chest, above his strong heart, watched him.

Jareth suddenly stopped his little game and stared at her hand, before whispering, as if he didn't want to be heard by anybody else but her, even if he knew they were alone in her room.  "See how weak I am around you?" he began hoarsely, "I had promised myself not to make love to you because I would bring to much trouble but," Jareth observed a small pause before resuming, his voice turning as husky as when he was whispering her promises of eternal love while caressing her, "looks like I failed that again because I can't help touching you…" He let his voice trailed away and looked down at her: she had raised her head and was resting her chin on his chest, staring at him.

Embarrassed because she got caught in the act of staring him, Sarah quickly turned her head away and rested it again on his broad chest. Does he regret? "Jareth, I…" she began, feeling guilty and unsure of where they were standing exactly. Jareth was offering her the world and she still couldn't bring herself to accept it. What the hell was wrong with her? Was she stupid or something? Her rational mind yelled and kicked at her.

Jareth quickly put a finger on her lips. "Hush. You don't need to explain yourself. And don't get me wrong; I don't regret what we've done. It's just that now, my dreams will be plagued with your sweet scent, your lips…" that he kissed slowly, his voice turning passionate and his gaze as heated as the burning sun she had felt inside of her when Jareth brought her over the edge. "Your breasts…" Jareth rolled on top of her and ran his tongue on one of her aroused nipples. "Your smooth skin…" he then nibbled the side of her neck. "I would dream of you, naked in my arms… Every night… Sarah…"   
His last words were quickly drowned by moans of pleasure but if Sarah had listened closely, she'd have heard him confessing her his immortal love for her.

:::_________:::_________:::_________:::

End part 6. 

Hey! Don't hit me!!!! I swear, part 7 is almost done!!!! 

mikim


	7. A night to wonder A night to wait

I believe any child who will be abandoned by its own mother or father will have a big trauma in his/her life later on. I mean, just look at the children whose the parents got divorced: some break down, some get out stronger than never. But still, the pain they went through had marked them. As for Sarah, I think living in a world of fantasy as she used to do when she was a child was a form of protection and in the middle of it, burst Jareth. Anyway, Sarah has a lot of suffering ahead, sorry about that, I know I promise not angst but it's necessary for her to go on.

By the way, Angii Himemiya, **I LOVE YOU!!!!!! **Thank you so much for your kind review!! (Hey, could you kick my macroeconomics teacher's ass? No, I'm just asking, I'm not hating him…well not really…)

Disclaimer: see chapter 1. I'm tired of writing them. (Who said lazy?)

A night to wonder. A night to wait. 

Sarah snuggled closer to Jareth till her head was in the hollow of his shoulder, her arm around his waist and one of her leg firmly wrapped around one of his. The two of them were clinging to each other's side and resting silently within the deep red sheets of Sarah's bed.

Sarah sighed happily when Jareth dropped a kiss in her hair and asked him, lazily, slowly drifting to the peaceful land of dreams. "By the way, why did you come to my room in the first place?"

Jareth chuckled a little, before answering her, teasing her ."I wanted to show you something before bringing you to dinner, but you, obviously, had other plans for me…" 

"Jareth!" She slapped him playfully on the chest, eliciting more laughter from him. Jareth grabbed her hand, laughing, his eyes twinkling with laughter and happiness and rolled on her, pinning her under him. Sarah looked up at him. He looked so happy. She had never seen him that  way before: when she was young, he was the regal Goblin King, high and mighty, arrogant and cocky,  a cold-hearted bastard she had to best because he had stolen her baby brother.   
"Sarah?" His deep voice startled her. "Am I losing my touch?" He teased her, rubbing his nose against hers.

Sarah blushed and wounded her arms around his neck, she smiled up at him and answered him the best way she knew: she kissed him.  
  


Some times later, the couple made its way towards the kitchen of the castle: it was still dark outside but Jareth, like Sarah, was starving to death and so the survival trip was decided. As Sarah wanted to go with Jareth but without any magic. They were sneaking in Jareth's castle, much to the amusement of the later, holding hands and grinning mischievously to one another. They avoided each guard  and finally reached the kitchen. But, somebody had knew them too well: on the main table, laid two plates, with cold food, and water. Jareth laughed softly. 

"It's Celia." He started to explain as he and Sarah moved around the table to sit down. He was talking in an ushered voice, not to wake anybody. "When I was little, sometimes, I'd throw some fits." Sarah didn't bother to hide her huge smile and Jareth just shook his head, rolling his eyes heavenward, but smiling too. "Once, one of them got my father mad and so he punished me: it was to be deprived of my dinner." He kept on, his voice turning nostalgic and his face softened. "Food didn't matter, but the fact of not being able to see my mother really chagrined me and that night, my mother knocked once on my door and slid a piece of paper under it, telling me to go to the kitchen when the castle would be silent." Sarah could imagine perfectly a small version of Jareth sneaking out of his chambers and ran down here.

 "When I got here, my mother was there,  waiting for me, with Celia, and food was laid on the table, just like that, ready to be eaten. My father knew it, of course, but he never said a word about it. I guess it was a way for him to tell me he had forgiven me." Jareth smiled sadly at her, remembering surely thousands of other memories and realization bit Sarah hard: once again, she had been shown how little she knew about the Goblin King and his world.

Sarah woke up the next day, in her bed, still in Jareth's embrace. 

She was sleeping on her side, Jareth holding her from behind, in a spoon like position, his face buried in the small of her neck. Sarah turned around, in his arms, to observe him: he was sleeping soundly, his fair hair falling on his eyes, his mouth lightly agape. After their dinner, last night, or maybe this morning, Jareth had led her to the baths where they had played in the water more than bath. And the game led to another and to another one, which gave Jareth the urge to transport them magically back to her rooms and bed, not that Sarah minded, actually.  She smiled at the memory and brushed Jareth's bangs out of his eyes, to reveal his forehead, which she kissed lightly. Jareth mumbled something in his sleep and snuggled closer to her, tightening his hold on her in the same time.  Sarah looked down at him.  
So that's what my life would be like if I loved him. Do I? I let him make love to me and I'll cherish every moment of it, but why can't I say I love him, when it seems so easy for him?   
Sarah lied down, on her side, facing Jareth. She held a hand to his face and slowly cupped his cheek.  
It was so easy to give in, to let my body rule my mind. But I feel so empty… 

  
When Jareth finally decided to wake up, thanks to some shaking from Sarah's part, he transported them, grumbling to Sarah's apartment. Sarah was back in her jeans and gray tank top and she couldn't help but giggled all the way, teasing Jareth as he obviously wasn't a morning person. It was around 10 'clock when they arrived at Sarah's place.

 "So, what are we doing?" Asked a yawning Goblin King.

"First, find you some clothes. Then go to the mall find a present for my future sibling and then I need to pack for the week-end." Sarah answered, taking him by the hand and leading him in her bedroom. While she looked through her closet to find any of shirt that would do on Jareth, the latter sat on the bed, dryly asking her.   
"I'll walk you to your parents' house but, what's wrong with my clothes?" 

Sarah turned around. "Jareth," she started as if she was explaining things to a two-years old. "I don't think the world in general is read for the Goblin King in full mode high-and-mighty appearance." 

Grunting, but seeing her point, Jareth answered bitterly, frowning at her. "Fine. But, I'm not wearing anything with a skirt." He stated matter-of-fact.

"A skirt?" Sarah repeated, dumbfounded. 

"Last time I came here, in my humanoid form, some men were wearing skirts and high socks, I'm sorry, but I'm not wearing any of them!" He explained, crossing his arms over his broad chest, his voice slowly rising. 

Comprehension dawned on Sarah. "Kilt? Oh! Jareth, no, it's just a traditional thing from another country! Don't worry, I won't make you wear any kilts." Sarah stifled a giggle, but her smile said long on how she thought Jareth would look in a kilt. "As funny as it sounds" A growl warned her to watch her tongue. "I promise I won't." She concluded.   
Satisfied, Jareth lied down on his stomach in her bed and looked around.  "What's this?" He pointed out. 

Sarah looked out of her closet and answered him absentmindedly. "A magazine." Sarah resumed her search, much to Jareth's annoyance. He didn't like being ignored so he sat up in the bed, grabbing Sarah by the waist and making her fall in the bed, next to him. "Jareth!" Sarah yelped but Jareth only smiled lazily back at her and showed her the magazine again.  "Are there any men clothes in this?"

"Yes, but it only shows them-" 

Jareth cut her "Then, it should be enough. Choose something for me." He flopped on his back, crossing his arms under his head and closing his eyes, he waited.   
Sarah stared at him. "Jareth, you don't-"

Jareth cut her again, in a soft voice. "Just choose." 

Sarah sighed heavily and turned the pages, trying to find something Jareth would like, maybe he had a trick in his sleeve with his magic. "Alright." She turned more pages, before finding something. "You'd look nice in that." She murmured almost to herself only but Jareth heard her and turned back to her. 

He took a look at Sarah's choice and raised a delicate eyebrow. "Really?" He sarcastically asked her.

Sarah frowned at him, almost mad. "Listen, you asked me to choose and I chose," She pointed at the page again,  "now if you're not happy-" She turned her eyes back on his slender form but she never got to finish her ranting.

Jareth was wearing the outfit she had just found: a white and plain shirt under a leather jacket that hung till his mid hip and a pair of black jeans. Casual but still regal. He looked stunning. "Looks like you like it. Good. Shall we go outside, now?" He smiled at her while she was busy staring.   
"Yeah."   
"Sarah?"  
"Yeah?"   
"It's not really polite to stare, you know."   
"Yeah."    
"Good, it was just to let you know."   
"Yeah."

:::::-----:::::-----:::::----:::::----:::::-----::::::

They finally went out when the problem of Jareth's hair was checked. Sarah had managed to talk him into tying them into a ponytail at the base of his neck, but he had agreed only if she was the one who did it. He had been grumbling all the way when she was busy combing his hair, while he sat at her vanity, in front of her mirror. 

When it was over, however, Jareth spun around, Sarah standing between his legs, his arms sneaking around her waist. He stole a kiss from her and Sarah managed to get Jareth out of her bedroom led by promising him a dozen kiss once they got back from the mall.  Jareth had happily accepted and let Sarah drag him away.

On their way to the mall, Jareth couldn't help but eyeing suspiciously the cars around them, and Sarah had to laugh by his antics. 

 After a few hours of shopping, Sarah finally found a present for the baby. Jareth had been busy all day, trying to keep at least one hand in contact with her flesh: either around her waist, or playing with her hair, either holding her hand in his, or having an arm across her shoulders. 

Sarah had found it quite disturbing at first and she had stiffened but either Jareth noticed it but said nothing, either he was too busy glaring other males away to notice the stiffness of her limbs. 

But at times flew away, Sarah found herself missing Jareth's hand around her waist, or in the little of her back when they were separated by the huge crowd in the mall.

Sarah glanced at the big clock, hanging from the ceiling of the mall to see that it was almost 4 and that they haven't eaten all day. Feeling a little guilty she hadn't proposed it earlier she stopped Jareth. "Hey, aren't you hungry?" She inquired. 

Jareth turned around, with a smile on his handsome  face. "Of you? Always." 

Sarah blushed and Jareth, enjoying himself immensely of her embarrassment, pulled her in his arms and stole a kiss from her. 

When would she be the one who would steal kisses from him? His heart suddenly ached to know. 

Sarah slapped him playfully on the chest and took him by the hand, leading him to small fast food restaurant to buy some sandwiches. 

As they were eating, Jareth's arm on her shoulders, they passed by a library. In its window was Sarah's last released book. Jareth made them stop in front of it and stared at it. "What's your new book about?" He asked her, suddenly curious. Sarah looked up at him, swallowing slowly, pondering of if she should tell him or not… 

"Well, it's a story that happens in the future, science is considered almost like a religion and the richest and those considered as useful for a scientific purpose live in domes. There's a mysterious project but, due to a catastrophe, people outside the domes were touched by a strange illness. And so, the scientists decide to find a cure but they need some bodies to experiment the medicine and that's where my hero steps in." 

Sarah stopped talking and looked up at Jareth, but he was listening to her. They resumed walking around and Sarah kept on talking.  
 "He is headhunter for the domes, nicknamed Thrones Master, as in the bible and also know as the Seventh's Pillar of God. His name's …" Sarah hesitated before hastily saying. "Tristan."   
Hoping that Jareth didn't notice her hesitation, Sarah quickly added.  
 "Anyway, he's a cold-hearted killer who enjoys the hunt, as he calls it, and he likes to give in person the result of his hunts to Althea, the head of the group D of the research groups. Results of his hunts being the people outside he managed to trap and kill. He gives them in person to Althea just to torment her because he had fallen in love with her but apart from being harsh to her, he doesn't know how to react."   
"Althea despises him because of what he does, because inside the domes, there is a side of the scientists that don't approve the others methods and Althea is one of those. Once she got trapped outside and she met some outsider people and realized how mistaken they are in the domes, how scornful they are". 

"When Tristan saved her, she asked him why he came and his only response is because he wanted to hear her voice. And the story developed from this part on Tristan and Althea relationship and his secrets." Sarah concluded with a smile, rather proud of her new story. So far, it was the darker she had ever written, but she liked it.  
Jareth smiled down at her, his eyes twinkling and he asked her.  "What's Tristan real name?"

Taken aback, Sarah couldn't hide her surprise on her face and Jareth's smile widened. So, when she tried to deny, Jareth just waved her lie away. "Tristan is his real name."  

Jareth shook his head. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah… It's too late. You see, I've read all your previous books."

 Sarah started to blush, knowing fully what he meant, and Jareth hugged her tighter. Against his chest, she murmured a name. "Jareth… His name's Jareth." 

Jareth smiled again, "I knew it. You know why?" He bent his head, till his mouth was just over her ear. "Because at the backs of your books, it was written that it was your trademark: a character called Jareth, cold, high and mighty, scornful but powerful with a little temper. Were you thinking about me, these last years, Sarah?"  

_________________________________________

Toby was scowling at the dirty dishes, lying in the sink. Grumbling, he took the first one and started to scrub it. He hated doing the washing, but he knew better than fight with his mother over that. Once, he told her he already did the washing up the day before and that it wasn't fair that it was his turn again, while she had merely raised an eyebrow and retorted that today too, he had eaten. Toby had shut up and did the washing but it didn't mean he was enjoying it. 

His dad came by and patted his back amicably and without a word, he started to dry up the dishes with a towel. Toby shot him a glance and seeing his father's sad expression, no doubt his mother had asked him to help his son. Well maybe 'ask ' wasn't the best word to put it.

Smiling to his father, Toby turned his eyes to the window, just above the sink to see a brunette, walking toward the house, in the fading daylight. A tall man, dressed in loose black jeans and white shirt under a leather jacket, with blond hair, tied in a loose ponytail at the base of his neck was walking besides her, holding a big sport bag. Toby narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out who the woman was.  
"Hey, Dad, isn't that… Sarah?" Toby asked, his sister name dying on his lips as the tall stranger suddenly bent his head toward a familiar one of his big sister and caught his sister's lips in a kiss.  

His father had looked up and his eyes were becoming the size of his wife favorite saucer: Sarah was being kissed… no, devoured by a man!! His baby girl! Time froze and he never noticed the almost dry dish in his hands, falling on the ground in a cute, shattering noise. 

Karen jerked from her chair in the living room as the sound of a plate falling on the ground. She quickly made her way to the kitchen, a little worried, and stepped inside. "Hey! Everything's…" But she found her husband and son staring something by the kitchen window, the two of them completely frozen. Startled, Karen approached and took a peer outside too. 

Sarah was given a soul-shattering kiss by what seemed to be a gorgeous young man. 

Karen clapped her hands happily and smiled, joy twinkling in her eyes. The sound of clapping hands jerked Robert from his frozen state and he whirled around, his eyes promising the hell to the source of the noise, which turned out to be his wife.   
Karen raised an eyebrow at her husband and understood the murderous glaze. She stomped rather irritably and gave him a look, one that promised long, cold and lonely nights on an uncomfortable couch: Sarah was an adult, for Pete's sake. No need, now, at 25, of an over-protective, jealous, stupid father on her back.

Karen turned to Toby, to see, as expected, a mischievous smirk playing on her son's lips: he was going to tease Sarah merciless about her boyfriend… not if she could help it. Quickly, before Toby could snap out of his dirty plans to embarrass Sarah, Karen grabbed him by an ear, taking him completely by surprise. 

"Alright, you two," she spoke looking alternatively and fiercely at her husband first and her son after, still pinching his ear, "no glares, no teasing, no remarks, no snide comments or anything that could mention what had just happened outside and on that young man. Is that clear? Otherwise, I'll be in the obligation to punish the both of you."   
Karen narrowed her eyes and added threatening. "One should never annoy the woman who holds the pan, got me?" 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sarah watched Jareth disappear from her sight, before turning to her house. She lifted her bag on her shoulder and walked towards the door, a smile plastered on her lips. Even if she didn't feel like smiling, Sarah had to keep it up not to worry her parents.

Her father, Robert, slammed the door open before Sarah had a chance to take her keys out of her pocket. Sarah blinked, startled, "Heu..  Hello, dad."  Her father said nothing and glared something past her. Surprised, Sarah turned around to see if something or someone was behind her, but none was there. She turned back to her father who grunted a greeting and took her sport bag from her shoulder and grumbled something about putting it in her room. 

Sarah walked in the house, shrugging at her father's odd behavior and closed the door behind her. Then Karen arrived and greeted Sarah, a huge smile on her lips. "Sarah! You're finally here." The older woman took Sarah in a hug, which Sarah returned, her smile no longer a fake. 

Sarah stepped back and looked at Karen's belly. "So, how long?" She asked her, an eyebrow lifted.

Karen laughed and rubbed her belly, where a new life was growing. "Well, the doctor said I'm already two months." 

Sarah amazed cried out. "Two months! And you only told me two days ago!"

Karen laughed again. "Well, the reason is easy to understand, dear, because your father and i only got the good news three days ago." That was when Toby decided to make an appearance: he launched himself at Sarah and hugged the life out of her. "Sarah!!! Did you bring my present?" 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Because of Karen, Robert said nothing to Sarah about the man that kissed her during the whole evening but Karen cornered Sarah. The two of them were washing the dishes, basically catching up, while Toby and Robert were playing with Toby's new play station. 

"Sarah, where have you been the last two days?" Karen suddenly asked, totally off topic, as they were talking about Sarah's last book. A bit taken by her sudden question, Sarah only manage to say, "I… I was at my place, why-" But, Karen cut her before she could complete her lie. 

"Sarah, Thomas, your publisher called two days ago, asking how you were feeling. Your father doesn't know, because I answered the phone. I only told Thomas you were well, but I think I deserve some explanations, no?" Karen let a playful smile lit up her face. "Does it have anything to do with the gorgeous man I saw kissing you?" She raised an eyebrow cockily to Sarah.

Sarah sighed in surrender and dropped the towel she was using to dry the last dishes too close the door, so that their conversation would be unheard. "Yes, I was with him."  

"Oh, Sarah." Karen couldn't help but feel a little betrayed as Sarah never told her anything about her new relationship. Sarah smiled, trying to apologize at Karen's hurtful tone and the two women sat down on the kitchen chairs. 

"I met Jareth when I was a teenager." Sarah began. "At first, he wasn't what you could call a good friend, to sum up, we hated each others guts." Well, it's not totally true, but it's better that way. "And Jareth went back home, in… Great Britain." 

"Anyway, the day you called me, I went out to buy a gift for the baby and I ran into him. He invited me for lunch, which I agreed, after all, it had been ten years. And Jareth told me he loved me…"

 Sarah paused, still a little shocked that she was actually telling  things of her heart like that to Karen. Staring completely out of space, not bothering to acknowledge Karen, Sarah let her emotions ran high, letting all her heart out. 

"I was astonished, I couldn't say a word, all those years I was wrong, thinking he hated me. And, now, and now, I… I… I truly don't know what to do." Sarah almost broke down, her body went limp and her head bent, she tried to take some deep, calming breaths. 

Karen asked her softly. "And, what do you feel for Jareth?" 

Speechless, Sarah jerked her head up to meet Karen's eyes. "I… I don't know. I mean, yes, I found out that I like him… I mean, in a way, I already liked him when I was fifteen, well, I was head over heels for him and when he left, it hurt like hell but I managed to go on, and now… Oh, I just don't know what to do anymore, Jareth is confusing the hell out of me!"    
Karen suddenly interrupted her ranting, "Why are you so scared?" She asked.

"What?" Confused, Sarah looked up to observe Karen and understand what she meant but the older woman face was both angry and desperate.

"Sarah? You're scared. It's clearly written all over your face! Why are you scared of…" Karen marked a pause, pain in her eyes,  "Love? You're in love with Jareth, that's as clear as bright daylight but you refuse to let go, why, Sarah? What's holding you back?" Karen looked like ready to burst in tears. She just couldn't see why Sarah refused to accept what that man was offering to her.

Sarah found her voice again and tried to answer, "Karen, I... I don't know what you mean…" 

But Karen interrupted her again, almost snapping at her. "Yes, you do. That's the only question, Sarah, why are you scared of love." 

Karen stood up and walked to the door, which she opened. "But, the answer is for you, and you only to find." 

With a last glance, Karen got out of the kitchen, leaving a very confused Sarah alone with her thoughts and sat on the couch, next to her husband and son, unnoticed by the two of them as they were busy playing with the play station Sarah had brought along.   
"I hate you, Linda. For destroying this child." 

___________________________________

Sarah just couldn't sleep.  
She kept on tossing around in her bed, trying to understand what Karen meant. After their chat in the kitchen Sarah had fled in her room, with an awkward excuse on her being tired, and with a goodnight, shut herself out. But sleep eluded her. Sarah sighed. Funny…it is the first night that I sleep alone since Jareth's back in my life…   
Sarah almost smiled and turned around. Since Jareth was back in her life. Her life. Some much and so little had happened during these twenty-five years.  
 First, her mother left her behind to pursue her acting career, not bothering to send a card or anything to let her own daughter she was still alive. And then, her dad, her sweet daddy, the one she had thought would be always there for her and her only, marrying someone else, bringing another woman in her life without her being aware, and then wishing Toby away and Jareth. 

Sure, she settled with wishing Toby away, with Karen and her and even with Jareth, now, but not with her mother. No, never with her own mother, the one she was supposed to be the closest to. Not knowing why though, Sarah started to weep silently in her bed till she fell finally asleep. 

Somewhere else, in a glittering crystal ball, turning slowly in a gloved hand, her image was being reflected.  Jareth was watching her.  
"Stupid woman. How could you leave your own daughter and brings so much pain in her life a so long time after?" 

___________________________________

Galion was asleep.   
In his king-size bed, within the soft green sheets, lied the mighty War Lord of the West, one of his arms under his head, used as a pillow, snoring softly.   
When his wife died, Galion had refused to take another woman, not even for a night but he couldn't bring himself to change their room. His bedchambers still held the feminine touch of his late wife: tones of green and blue, color of the trees and the skies, furniture made of wood.   
Even her closet was still there, all her make-up on her vanity, some blond strands of hair lingering in her brush. Sometimes, Galion would pick up some of the perfumes that she had used the most, just to smell her. 

When he was feeling desperately lonely and old, he'd open her closet and touch her dresses, imagining her in her favorite blue dress, or seeing her again in that deep red dress, made of velvet, running towards him.

He'd still cry sometimes, but it was becoming less and less often with time. He had cried, alone in the dark of his room, when they had thought Calandra would die from an illness, he had cried, feeling hopeless and useless, but Calandra had survived and his tears had dried. He had cried, in front of his children when they had found their mother's wedding dress, the one she had kept for Calandra.   
A slap on his head woke him up with a start. 

"What?" Sleepy and groggy, the War Lord turned on his left to find his younger brother, next to him, sitting on his bed, his long legs crossed on one another, his black boots shining in the moonlight, his back against the top of the bed. Jareth was glaring at something in the dark, not looking at him. Galion sighed and rolled on his back, an arm on his eyes, waiting for Jareth to explain himself.

"She still doesn't trust me."  The Goblin King started, his voice as had as his stony face. "I know she loves me, but she can't bring herself to trust me. Why?" Jareth was livid.  
Galion dropped his arm and looked up at Jareth, the scowl still on the youngster face. "Jareth, talking with me won't make her trust you. By the way, what are doing in my castle and on my bed, in the middle of the night?" Galion asked, quite brutally, not really enjoying his brother's visit. 

Jareth answered by a grunt and shrugged, refusing to look at his brother. Galion sighed again. It reminded him of the times when Sarah had left the Labyrinth for the first time: Jareth would pop out of nowhere, at any hours of the days or the nights and refuse to speak to days sometimes and then disappear without telling anyone. 

"You know, the last time you crawled in my bed was because you had a nightmare and was afraid to go to sleep alone. You were barely eight." 

"Shut up." A small chuckle filled the night, answering the Goblin King's dry comment. "And I wasn't scared." He added hastily.

"Yeah, sure. You know where your room is. I'm too tired to talk to you right now: I had to drag Calandra back here and threaten her to be grounded for the next month if she sneak out of the castle to see Sarah, without talking, of course, what I had to do and promise Nathan to convince him to go to bed. Get some sleep, Jar, I'm tired and so are you. And if you're not here when I wake up tomorrow morning, you'll be able to tell us what the bottom of that damn bog of yours looks like, got me?"

"Whatever."

The weight next to Galion suddenly vanished and Galion felt his heart grow heavy for Jareth, turning his head on the side, he observed the silver moon by the window, playing among the clouds. Sighing, as sleep evaded him, Galion suddenly remembered a song his mother used to sing before being taken away with illness. If he remembered correctly, it was a song about an unrequited love, about a human beast, which loved a woman who loved another, in a city of Aboveground.

_Lune  
Qui là-haut s'allume  
Sur  
Les toits de Paris  
Vois  
Comme un homme  
Peut souffrir d'amour  
  
Bel  
Astre solitaire  
Qui meurt  
Quand revient le jour  
Entends  
Monter vers toi  
Le chant de la terre  
  
Entends le cri  
D'un homme qui a mal  
Pour qui  
Un million d'étoiles  
Ne valent  
Pas les yeux de celle  
Qu'il aime  
D'un amour mortel  
Lune  
  
Lune  
Qui là-haut s'embrume  
Avant  
Que le jour ne vienne  
Entends  
Rugir le cœur  
De la bête humaine  
  
C'est la complainte  
De Quasimodo  
Qui pleure  
Sa détresse folle  
Sa voix  
Par monts et par vaux  
S'envole  
Pour arriver jusqu'à toi  
Lune !  
  
Veille  
Sur ce monde étrange  
Qui mêle  
Sa vois au chœur des anges  
  
Lune  
Qui là-haut s'allume  
Pour  
Éclairer ma plume  
Vois  
Comme un homme  
Peut souffrir d'amour  
D'amour_

_Moon  
Who above ignites  
On  
Paris' roofs  
See  
How a man  
Can suffer from love  
  
Beautiful  
Lone celestial body  
Who dies  
When the day comes  
Hear  
Rise towards you  
The song of the earth  
  
Listen to the cry  
Of a man who hurts  
For whom  
A million of stars  
Aren't worth  
The eyes of the one  
He loves  
Of a deadly love  
Moon  
  
Moon  
Who above becomes misty  
Before   
That the day comes  
Hear   
Roar out the heart  
Of the human beast  
  
It's the complaint   
Of Quasimodo  
Who cries  
His fool distress  
His voice  
On the move  
Flies away  
To arrive till you  
Moon!  
  
Watch  
On this strange world  
Which ties  
Its voice to the angels choir  
  
Moon  
Who above ignites  
To  
Light my pen  
See  
How a man  
Can suffer from love  
From love._

___________________________________

Saturday passed like a blur to Sarah: she and Karen spent the whole day in the mall, buying a lot of stuff for the baby or just windows drooling. Sarah had managed to talk Toby in and thanks to her little brother's presence, Karen avoided bringing Jareth's topic on, to Sarah's great relief. Even if the day passed by smoothly, whenever Sarah would see a tall blond man, her feet would freeze and her heart would jump in her chest, murmuring his name. 

Sarah's father joined them for dinner, in a small Italian restaurant, next to the mall, gasping at the number of bags his woman brought along. He sighed deeply and told Toby, loud enough for the women to hear.  
 "My son, I think we'll have to tighten our belts this month." Karen and Sarah laughed and Toby giggled.

On the way back home, Toby fell asleep in the car and Sarah felt like joining her little brother in the peaceful land of sleep. She gazed out the window at the moon 

The half-moon was playing hide and seek with the clouds and the stars was glittering gently down on earth. Sarah found herself suddenly wondering if Jareth could see the moon right now… this thought nearly brought tears to her eyes but the gods were kind on her, tonight, as it was the moment that they arrived home. Sarah almost ran to her bedroom after biding her parents goodnight and threw herself on the bed, head hid in her arms, tears stinging her eyes.   
What the hell was wrong with her?  Why was she feeling cornered by Jareth? Why was she so dependant of him? Because it could only result in pain for her, just like everybody else, he'd end up leaving her behind. Yes, her father came back to her, yes, Karen turned out to be nice, finally, yes, she loved Toby but they had already left her once, who could prevent them for doing it again?  
Sarah suddenly raised her head from her arms: she was scared of love because she was scared of being rejected, just like with her mother. 

The morning after, when Sarah woke up, she crawled to her mirror to see what a night of crying had done to destroy her face: as expected her eyes were the size of a ball, her cheeks were red while her nose could compete with a tomato. 

Sarah sighed and went to the bathroom to try to restore the damages. However, it didn't truly worked, and when she went downstairs, she left the sunglasses she was about to put on, back in her bag and squared her shoulders. Hopefully, her father would still be asleep. 

When she got in the kitchen, she found Karen reading the papers before a cup of tea. Karen looked up from her reading and stared at Sarah, without saying anything, without her face revealing anything. She then sighed and stood up, taking another teabag from the curtain and put it in a cup with some hot water.   
Without a word, Sarah sat down and watched, without truly seeing, Karen prepare another cup of tea. When Karen decided that it was enough, she, at Sarah's surprise, threw hers and the new cup of tea away, keeping the teabags that she put in a small plate, leaving the mugs in the sink. 

"It's still early," Karen said, in a low voice, "Toby and your father are still asleep." With a soft smile, she handed Sarah the plate with the teabags, "Put these on your eyes, it'll get them less…big." Sarah smiled bitterly and took the plate from Karen and with a last smile went up in her room.  
The teabags went wonderfully: it decreased Sarah's eyes size, but not enough to go unnoticed by her father. 

Around noon, Sarah brought her sport bag down, ready to get back to her flat.   
Toby shouted her a goodbye, see you next week from the living room where he was playing with the play station she had bought and Sarah smiled, shaking her head. Karen and her father walked her to the door and as Sarah thanked Karen for everything, making the older woman shake her head in a 'no-need' matter, Sarah's father decided that it was enough: he let his anger explode. 

"Sarah!" He almost yelled, making his wife and daughter jump out of their skins. "Who the hell is that damned guy who's making you cry! For I swear on what's dear to me, I'll skin him alive! Is it that bastard who kissed you on Friday?" A vein was actually popping out of his forehead and he had a fist raised, while his face was still not sure which shade of red it should take.   
Unfortunately for him, his father outrage mode didn't work on the women and they burst in laughter. Laughing, Sarah wrapped her arms around her father's neck, feeling that a weight was suddenly being lifted of her heart, and told him sweetly. "Don't worry, Dad, I'm still your little girl."

::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::

On, the top of Galion's castle, was a tower. A lone and cold tower, on which the winds battled, trying to bring it down, but the tower remained. At the top of this tower, was a room. Oddly enough, contrary to the tower looks, this room was cozy and warm, thanks to the huge fireplace, which heated up the whole room and the red and old carpets. Above the fireplace, was a painting.

 A painting done with love, a painting of a woman with long blond hair and warm amber eyes. Anybody who'd look at this painting would instantly know how Calandra would age, as it was a painting of her mother, Emerald. 

Leaning on the side of the fireplace, eyes lost in the fire, was Jareth. 

His long cloak resting carelessly on the back of one of the two chairs in front of the fire, while in the other one was Galion. 

Jareth was wearing a short, black jacket, on one of his poet shirt, tucked in his black pants. His silver medallion shifting to orange, passing by yellow to red, in the firelight. His hard profile and tight jaw showed Galion that his little brother was having an inner battle and whenever Jareth was brooding this way, all Galion could was to suffer in silence and wait for his brother.

 Because Jareth was. His only remaining family: it didn't matter if they weren't brother by blood, no, what they went through together mattered, the good memories as the bad times, their fights like theirs laughs.

 Almost smiling, Galion ran a hand over his jaw, where Jareth had hit him. It was still painful but Galion didn't heal himself as he had promised Nathan he'd let the little boy heal him, for practice. 

Galion was wondering how he could keep Calandra out of trouble for the next few days, when Jareth's deep voice broke the silence. "I'm so weak when she's concerned." He refused to turn around to look at his brother, but Galion saw the knuckles, resting on the mantelpiece, turning white as Jareth held tighter on it. And realization dawned.  
"You slept with her." It was a statement, no need here of denial, because the War Lord knew it to be true. 

As if somebody had hit him in the stomach, Jareth turned around, his face livid. His tense shoulders and closed fists would have meant death for another one than Galion.  
 However, Jareth managed to push through his gritted teeth. "Nice way to put it, brother, thank you and yes, I did." He walked to the other chair, facing the fire, next to Galion's and put his feet on the small table, in front of them.

Galion suppressed a smile and shrugged. "Bah, I'm just calling a cat a cat. Why bother with stupid formulas?" 

Jareth held an eyebrow at him and laughed a bit too joyfully to Galion's liking. "I can't wait the time when you'll have to explain the difference between girls and boys to your kids!"

Cold sweat suddenly ran down Galion's spine and he shivered madly, closing his eyes in distress. "Shut up. I'm already freaking out at the thought." He snapped.

Jareth's laughter slowly died, leaving the two men in a tense silence, each of them pondering on their problems: Jareth with Sarah, Galion with puberty and his children. Galion's eyes naturally flickered to Emerald's portrait and for maybe the thousandth time, wished that she was still by his side. 

Still staring at his beloved face, Galion slowly broke the silence with his soft voice. "Jar, love can either be a strength either a weakness." 

Jareth raised his eyes to watch his brother's face and saw him still staring at Emerald. Galion's voice dropped to a whisper, forcing Jareth to lean forward to actually hear when Galion was saying.

 "Love can blind you and you'd hurt the others around you, without noticing it." 

Galion's gaze left the painting to rest for a few seconds on Jareth's face and he caught just in time, the look on his brother's face. Both men, as if working under a silent truce turned their eyes back to the painting but when Galion's stayed, Jareth turned his head away. 

 "But, love can make you grow too: bringing out the best in you as the worse, to let you know yourself better. Love can be a plague like a blessing. And, Jar, it's up to you to decide in what your love is going to turn into." Galion finished slowly returning to face Jareth. 

Jareth leaned back in his chair and massaged his forehead, eyes closed, as if he was having a headache. "Then, why do I feel weak?" He asked Galion, his voice sounding desperate. 

Galion was truly surprised of Jareth's painful expression. "Really? Do you really feel weak, Jar?" He asked, surprise evident in his voice, making Jareth looked up. "If Sarah asked you, tomorrow to bring her the moon, what would you do?" 

Without leaving the time to Jareth to find an answer, Galion kept on. "I know what you'll do: you'll turn this world into a living hell, if necessary, to bring her the moon. You'll do anything in your power to fulfill her wishes. Am I wrong?"

Jareth avoided his brother gaze, preferring staring at the dancing flames. "… No. " He finally answered, after a silence.

Galion smiled sadly and titled his head on the side, his eyes suddenly old and his whole body feeling suddenly heavy.  "So, are you truly that weak, Goblin King?" He asked softly, an ironic smile on his lips.

Jareth burst in bitter laughter. "Can you believe it? Me, Jareth, the feared Goblin King, on his knees before a mere mortal, I who didn't know what the  word 'weak' meant before meeting Sarah…" His laughter dried in his throat, and Galion could have sworn he saw some tears in the Goblin King's eyes. "She doesn't trust me." Jareth added, his head bent to the point it looked like it was resting on his chest.

"But she did sleep with you, didn't she?"

Jareth's body shook again with a bitter laugh and he answered his brother, slowly raising his head. "She offered me her body, but her heart is still out of my reach."

"I thought you wanted to wait till she loved you." Galion observed, thoughtful.

"I couldn't. I guess I overestimated my own willpower. "

"What about her?" Galion suddenly inquired.

Jareth turned his head to meet his brother's gaze, confused. "What?"

"Jareth, she's been here for two days." 

Galion slowly explained, suddenly feeling cross at Jareth to be so dense. "And she fell in your arms on the first. Doesn't it prove you that she loves you? Because she does, brother, even if she tries to deny it." Galion tried to sound positive and sure of himself, even if deep down, he was still doubting on what Sarah truly felt for Jareth. Oh, there was so obviously some love, but something was holding her back. Even Calandra noticed it.

Jareth shook his head in denial and started, in an impersonal voice, as if trying to block the pain away. "When she was little, her mother abandoned her, her father remarried without even telling her and her stepmother didn't know how to handle her at first." Jareth looked miles away, talking about her, and a smile slowly crossed the king's lips. "Sarah, being who she is, rebellious, fiery and strong-willed, couldn't forgive her father and put all her anger on her stepmother and her baby brother."

"Then, she wished him away." Galion concluded.

"Yeah. And she learnt that she loved him. And things between her stepmother and herself went better and better, she forgave her father, but she never heard of her mother again."

"She's scared of being rejected again." Galion suddenly said, almost cutting Jareth.

Jareth stared at his brother for a long time. That could make sense. "But, how can I make her understand I won't push her away?"

Galion sighed and shrugged. "I never said I had the answers to everything, Jareth."

"Then, God damnit, what use are you?"

Hey, guys, have any of you a dad like the one I pictured for Sarah? I hope not, because it's scary. Really, you can believe me. Mine calmed down, but he took his time. -_-; 

Mikim


	8. Desperation

(Wicked grin) I'M BACK!!! (put hands on hips and threw head behind) HA!HA!HA !HA !HA !HA ! (mad laugh) Standards disclaimers apply.  
  
.....................  
  
Chapter 8. Desperation.  
  
.....................  
  
Sarah was wandering helplessly in the streets: she was supposed to head towards the bus station, which would take her back to the heart of the city, to where she lived. Rolling her left shoulder softly to put in place the sport bag, she let the familiar surrounding engulf her, letting her mind wander while her feet led her. Karen had said she was scared of love. But who in his right mind could be scared of love? That was stupid. Love was supposed to be the top, the blossoming, the magnificence of one's life, wasn't it?  
  
Then, why did Jareth keep on talking about her and dying altogether? Why that feeling of surrender, of walking against the stream that seemed to linger around him? Why he was fighting it? Why was he so reluctant to let go in the first place? Why tricking her into staying in the Labyrinth rather than ask her? There were too much games and riddles going on for her.  
  
As she walked down the street, a song suddenly soared from the windows of a house nearby, from an old and forgotten radio as the inhabitants of the house happily laughed with each other. They were standing on another world.  
  
  
  
Happiness is just a word to me  
  
And it might have meant a thing or two  
  
If I'd known the difference  
  
Emptiness, a lonely parody  
  
And my life, another smokin' gun  
  
A sign of my indifference  
  
  
  
Sarah watched them from the street, through their living-room's windows, the wind blew her bangs away from her eyes gently, pushing her gently to resume her walk. But this time, her feet turned left instead of right. Left to the park, where she used to go and rehearse. Rehearse the Labyrinth, telling the lines to the birds, spinning on herself, playing, acting.  
  
Always keepin' safe inside  
  
Where no one ever had a chance  
  
To penetrate a break in  
  
Let me tell you some have tried  
  
But I would slam the door so tight  
  
That they could never get in  
  
Kept my cool under lock and key  
  
And I never shed a tear  
  
Another sign of my condition  
  
She absent-mindedly strode down the familiar path to the familiar old bench. She looked around her: the day was bright and warm so people were lazily stretched on the ground, their kids running wild around, asleep or reading while she stood alone. Families or sweethearts talking quietly, laughing, kissing while she was alone. Better that way. She thought. Better be the one who leave than the one left behind.  
  
Fear of love or bitter vanity  
  
That kept me on the run  
  
The main events at my confession  
  
I kept a chain upon my door  
  
That would shake the shame of Cain  
  
Into a blind submission  
  
The burning ghost without a name  
  
Was calling all the same  
  
But I wouldn't listen  
  
She just needed to convince her heart she needn't him in her life to go on, as always. It was only an infatuation, because she was lonely and that he offered something she had been craving for. But, it was only a matter of time before he grew tired of her.  
  
The longer I'd stall  
  
The further I'd crawl  
  
The further I'd crawl  
  
The harder I'd fall  
  
I was crawlin' into the fire  
  
The more that I saw  
  
The further I'd fall  
  
The further I'd fall  
  
The lower I'd crawl  
  
I kept fallin' into the fire  
  
Into the fire  
  
Into the fire  
  
Time, how ironic for an immortal being. That was the way it was with her. People always ended up leaving her alone. Either because she was her daughter. Linda Williams' daughter, the great actress' daughter.  
  
But then, after a little time, people started to leave her because she was only her daughter, not the mother. That was part of the reason she had abruptly stopped acting. She had told people it was because she was too much of a dreamer to be an actress, anyway. That she preferred to write her stories rather than playing someone else's.  
  
True, her heart always jumped happily whenever one of her 'babies' was chosen to be the play of the year or when her books attracted so many people. She sat on the bench, next to her bag. Her bench was quite secluded from the other people, as the trees made it look like a hollow, an eerie place that only certain people could see, a perfect sanctuary: visible and invisible.  
  
She should end the strange thing between them as soon as possible, to make it less painful for him. He may have tried to trick her to stay a year in the Underground, it wasn't really like that, it felt more like an visit. Better end it, the sooner the better, now right?  
  
A single name fell from her lips, attracting his attention almost immediately.  
  
.....................  
  
For once, he hadn't been watching her; he was busy with his brother, trying to sort out things. They had decided that he should clear that stupid deal between them and Galion had managed to coax the reason out of him for that deal: because suddenly, it had felt like the cleverest thing to do to keep her. Keep her by him. That was all that had mattered. That still mattered.  
  
.....................  
  
His name rang like a bell in his mind and with an hopeful smile he left his brother who gave him an encouragement tap on the shoulder as they were standing together in the kids' playroom, watching Nathan carefully release an healing spell on his father.  
  
.....................  
  
To say that he was surprised of founding himself in the park in the Aboveground was an understatement. He had thought she would be at the castle, waiting for him. A look at her impassive face made him shudder and fear for the worse.  
  
"Sarah?" his voice hoarse with worry, Jareth stepped closer to the young woman. Quickly glancing around, he ordered silently to the people in the park not to notice either him or Sarah. As the spell left his fingers, Sarah's voice called his attention back to her.  
  
"I'm giving you this back." She said, unclasping from her neck the chain he had given her. The crystal hanging on it was starting to glow faintly, a reminder of the time that was supposed to be left for her in the Aboveground.  
  
Shocked, Jareth watched her take his hand and putting his gift between his trembling fingers. "What?"  
  
She looked up at him and sighed quietly. "I'm not coming back with you."  
  
"Sarah?" He repeated her name again, not understanding what she was saying. It was like she was suddenly speaking in a foreign language.  
  
Sarah smiled as she stood up, feeling incredibly cold and relieved in the meantime. "I decided it was the best for me not to let someone hurt me again."  
  
Fury and fear lit up in his mismatched eyes and he reached out for her hands, almost yelling. "Sarah! I would never ever."  
  
She pulled her hands away from his and stated. "That's what they all say in the beginning." He could have died right here, he wouldn't have noticed the difference.  
  
He bent his head to try to breathe again. Then, as he felt his heart shatter like a crystal hurled against a wall, pain shooting in his chest, he asked her, almost begging her. "Sarah, I don't understand, I thought you were happy with me!" He raised his face to look in her eyes, to read nothing but cold in them, while his flashed with pain.  
  
"I was." That was all she say. He didn't want to notice the past tense in which she was speaking If it happened once, it can happened again!  
  
Again he reached for her hands. "Then why? Please, give us a chance! Give me a chance." He advanced on her, kneeled at her feet and with trembling fingers, he touched her knees like she was made of glass, about to break under his touch. He wasn't afraid to beg her. He was no longer a King. He was truly her slave.  
  
Again, she pulled away. "No."  
  
"Sarah!" He thought tears would have started to fall from his eyes and was coldly surprised to find none of them. Maybe because he felt like the whole world and his own emotions were all dull, maybe there was a point in pain where tears couldn't even fall.  
  
"It's not fair for you." That sent him over the edge. And he backed away from her, as if she had suddenly turned in a statue made of iron.  
  
And he lost his last bit of control. "You have no right, I saved your life, therefore, you're mine! You are to come back with me in the Underground!" He tightened his hold on the necklace in his hand, the necklace he had given her, as a token of generosity, to make her feel almost free while staying with him in the Underground. An act of kindness.  
  
She didn't pay attention to him, her eyes focused on the necklace. "Seems like I called you just in time."  
  
"What?" He noticed her fixed gaze and quickly followed it. The crystal was shining like a small sun and would take whoever or whatever was attached to it to the Underground. "Sarah!" Was this only thing she heard when the light swallowed up the Goblin King and his shattered heart.  
  
.....................  
  
Galion was teaching his son the easiest healing spells while Calandra, who had been punished from sneaking away, had to copy down, and without magic, the first ten paragraph of 'The Underground. An History.'  
  
To say these paragraphs, and the whole book actually, were boring was an offending understatement. But Calandra wasn't suffering in silence and her long and repetitive sighs were growing heavier with time, but her father didn't pay attention and her traitorous brother was too absorbed in the lesson to really care.  
  
"Well done, Nathan, now, feel the muscle and the bone of my jaw." Galion was commenting, as Nathan ran his fingers on his father's jaw. "Do you feel where it's bruised?" He asked. When a cry, like a dying bird, rang in the darker corners of his mind. "Huh!" Surprised, Galion straightened up and blinked, when he finally discovered what that cry really was and as if Death herself had ran her fingers down his spine, he shivered and yelled for a servant. "Somebody!"  
  
A young guard opened the door and stayed in its frame, waiting. "Yes, my lord?"  
  
Galion, in few pace, had put a surprised Nathan on one of his shoulders and was reaching for a squealing Calandra to jerk her on his other shoulders, yelled to the young man. "We're going over the Goblin Castle. Calandra, Nathan, brace yourselves!"  
  
"Daddy?" The twins both asked as they disappeared from they playroom.  
  
.....................  
  
Galion had chosen to appear in the kitchen, he wanted to gather some information before facing the tornado. "Nanny!" He yelled, looking around for her, as he lowered himself to put his children down but Calandra immediately attached herself to one of his legs, frightened looking frantically around her. The kitchen was a wreck. And for cause, the castle was literally trembling.  
  
Again, a cry rose in the darker corners of his mind, but this time, it was repeated and amplified and the whole castle and its inhabitants heard the pathetic cry. Nathan tried to block the eerie sound and Calandra jumped on his neck, hanging on him as if her life depended of it. Nathan, as scared closed his own arms around her. But Galion didn't notice. He didn't notice either when something seemed to call out the twins, attracting their attentions and soothing their frightened hearts.  
  
The kitchen staff, made of elf, humans, goblins and faeries were all running like chicken to the next issue, probably fearing than the castle would crumble on their heads. A small and round, sobbing high elf, pushed her way to where Galion and his children were. "Galion!"  
  
Galion made his way to meet Celia half-way and took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. "What's wrong?" He demanded, his voice as harsh as his grip.  
  
"It's . It's Jareth and the lady." That was all he needed to know.  
  
He whirled around to spot his children, in arms of each others, and told them, before disappearing again. "You two stay here!"  
  
"Daddy!" Calandra cried out for him.  
  
.....................  
  
Galion burst in Jareth's private chambers to find his younger brother's form crumpled against the wall, one of his elbow resting on a drawn knee, his head bent down, curtains had been closed therefore, darkness was covering of her shady form the real Goblin King's pitiful state, despite the few candles lit here and there. A bloody knife next to his opened hand, on which a neckalce with a little crystal, now tainted with blood, was curled around his fingers. His shirt was torn and tattered, blood marks all over it and his shoulders were shaking silently.  
  
"Jareth!" Galion ran to kneel on Jareth's side, but the barking and bitter laugh that had been building in Jareth stopped him from taking another step closer.  
  
Jareth threw his head behind him, laughing, a laugh that froze Galion's blood in his veins. "It's Galion! My brother!" He laughed once more as tears were welling in his eyes.  
  
Heart beating rapidly, Galion took a step closer as he took noticed of the knife turned in Jareth's direction. "Jareth! What.?"  
  
But Jareth cut him as he grabbed the knife again. "She wouldn't let me die, look." He plunged it in his chest but quickly, before Galion could even react, an invisible hand jerked Jareth's closed fist away and pulled the knife away, making it fall again.  
  
"Jareth! Don't do that!" With a cry, Galion threw himself on Jareth and tore his shirt opened, calling on his magic to heal Jareth but apart from the blood running on his pale chest, no wound was visible. Holding bits of the once Jareth's white shirt, kneeling before him, Galion stared at his brother's chest, shock and incomprehension ragging inside of him.  
  
When Jareth talked, Galion could only stared at him. "She says I need to give her a heir first." That was when Galion saw the odd flame in Jareth's eyes. It was the same glint that he had fought when Sarah had rejected him the first time. But at that time, Jareth had exteriorized his emotions by breaking everything under hand, reporting his anger all around him. But now, here, he had stabbed himself.  
  
Emotions, as raw as love and hate, when uncontrolled, were dangerous for Fae as they could lose control on their heart and magic and therefore, turn insane.  
  
"Her?" Galion awkwardly asked. Who was Jareth talking about, nobody was there, he was all alone before Galion had come in the room.  
  
"The Labyrinth." Jareth looked up at Galion oddly. He blinked then asked him, unbelieving. "You didn't know? The Labyrinth has a conscience but she refuses to let me die." Jareth smiled again, a bitter smile, another odd smile, one that crept Galion's skin.  
  
Jareth was going insane. Talking about the Labyrinth like a living creature. The Labyrinth was a magical being that Jareth's grandfather had tamed and turned into a labyrinth. But by the way Jareth was talking about it, it was like there was a truce, an understanding between them. Galion knew he was about to light up a bomb but it was a material thing, something he could understand right now. Wondering about the real nature of the Labyrinth right now, wouldn't be of any help for Jareth. He'll try to figure out things, but later. So he asked, carefully, backing a little from Jareth. "Jareth, where's Sarah?"  
  
As if he had received a punch in the stomach, Jareth stumbled forwards, as if he was doubling in pain, moaning. "Sarah. Sarah. My Sarah. So proud and strong. So sweet and cruel." His face was now laying on the cold floor and his body was curled in a ball, his shoulders shaking again.  
  
Uncertainly, Galion reached out to put a hand on Jareth's shoulder, which stiffened under his touch, before relaxing again, the trembling gone. "Jareth?"  
  
"She turned me down. She rejected me. Again. Seems to me she has some really bad habits." His muffled voice sounded amused.  
  
Knowing what it truly meant for Jareth to be rejected again by that mortal female bought a pang of compassion and sadness to Galion's heart. "Oh, Jareth." Jareth raised his head and glared.  
  
He yelled, trying to push on his arms to stand up but failed miserably. "Don't look at me like that! What would you know of what I feel! I don't want your pity!"  
  
Helping him up, Galion tried to soothe him, talking with soft words. "Jareth, enough, come on, on your feet, I'm putting you in bed." Like a calming father and his ripped son.  
  
Clinging on him, Jareth frowned. "Bed? What for?"  
  
"Cause you really need some rest." Galion pulled Jareth closer to his bed, his mind racing like a madman to find a way to calm Jareth down. Last time the Goblin King had gone ballistic, the seven minor Warlords and the three other major Warlords, like Galion was, had to come to contain the suddenly unleashed Labyrinth from destroying the whole Underground.  
  
"I'm trying to kill myself." Jareth said, as if talking about the weather of the incoming week.  
  
Galion let a shuddering breath leave him, thanking any Gods that Jareth had turned this thought in a wish. In the Underground, words had power. That was one of the main differences between the above world and theirs. What Sarah couldn't understand. That once said, it was bound to happen or it already had. Jareth had confessed but for her it was only words but for Jareth it was everything. "No, you aren't." Galion denied.  
  
"Let me go." Jareth begged and it broke Galion's heart. Oh, Jareth, he thought, I would if it'd truly help you, but it won't. "Please, tell her to stop holding me back. I don't want to stay." Galion gritted his teeth in frustration.  
  
"Jareth, I don't know who you're talking about." He said, denying again whoever Jareth was talking about. Whatever Jareth was thinking was talking to him.  
  
"The Labyrinth!" Jareth yelled in frustration as Galion dumped him unceremoniously on his bed and pushed the Goblin King legs on the mat. "Goodness, are you listening?" Jareth asked, he hadn't taken noticed of the change of his location.  
  
Galion put a hand over Jareth's eyes and whispered. "Jareth, sleep."  
  
Tears ran on the Goblin King's cheeks, surprising Galion who let his hand over his younger brother's eyes and retained in the last minutes the sleeping spell. "She said she was happy! Then why, why?" He asked to no one in particular. "What have I done wrong? Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, I would never hurt you. Never, not me." Jareth's trembling hand suddenly grabbed Galion's one over his eyes, surprising him again by his rapidity. "Galion!" Jareth sat up quickly in the bed, his eyes glinting with a strange flame. An insane glint.  
  
"What?" Galion backed away from Jareth but the latter didn't let go of his hand.  
  
The frantic look and scared expression, haggard face and yelling made Jareth frightening. "I need to go back! I need to make her see!"  
  
Galion pulled his hand from Jareth's grip and put them on his shoulders to hold him still on the bed. "No, you're not!" He declared firmly. "You're going to calm down first! Bursting half crazy at her side won't help her to see that you'll never hurt her!" Jareth was fighting with both his raw magic and strength to force Galion to let him go. But magic was better controlled when one's mind was at ease so Galion easily overpowered him in that area and he kept Jareth firmly on the bed, trying to tire him with his magic. "Jareth, calm down, you're letting your emotions rule you."  
  
But, Jareth wasn't someone that one could overpower. "Damn you! Get out of my way!" He yelled and something, something primal and barbaric woke up inside of him. An instinct stronger than anything else, something that had to remain untamed for a reason he couldn't remember, something that had always to stay in check but he couldn't remember why. Nor did he remember who the man holding him down with both his hands and magic was.  
  
Jareth finally knocked Galion's hands and magical hold on him away. "Jareth!" Galion staggered backwards, because of the strength Jareth had unleashed to push him away and Jareth quickly stood up, his eyes blazing with anger and hate.  
  
Jareth didn't recognize that man. Who the hell did he think he was to try to overpower the Goblin King! "I'm warning you! Get the hell out of my way or I'll crush you!" Who the hell did he think he was!  
  
"Jareth, stop this, this instant!" Galion snapped at Jareth, realizing that he was quickly losing control over things.  
  
Jareth let his anger explode and a wave of magic hit Galion unexpectedly. "How dare you? I'm the Goblin King! Master of the Labyrinth!" Galion slammed painfully the opposite wall and fell on his knees, as Jareth quickly approached, ready to tell him his mind and his fingers were already moving to call upon a crystal to release another spell on Galion.  
  
"UNCLE JAR! NO!" Two voices shouted from the doors, and in a blur of honey- like hair and piercing green eyes, the twins were standing up in front of their father, protecting him from Jareth's ire.  
  
Galion couldn't stop himself from calling his children's names. "Calandra! Nathan!" Maybe that was what saved him, because Jareth suddenly felt like he was breaking free from a fog. He knew these names. They had a meaning, a strong meaning to him, a sense of love and protection, devotion and happiness. Something dear to him.  
  
The amount of power suddenly fell down and Jareth blinked several times, as if waking up from a bad dream. "Little ones." He said, trying to understand what exactly was going on. His head was throbbing with pain, an annoying murmur, like some running water, was rapidly getting on his nerves.  
  
Calandra clear voice ripped the annoying murmur like a clear blade. "Uncle Jar! Mother."  
  
".asked you to take." Nathan added. Somewhere deep in Jareth's mind, he noted clinically that the twins were deeply shocked and frightened by his behavior. A concern that felt like a blow for Galion: Jareth was one the twins' pillars in life. What if they lost trust in him? They would turn even more closed to the outside world than they already were.  
  
".care of us!" The strange talk at two voices went on very smoothly, it was like only one person was speaking. It was just that the person's voice was just shifting from a girly to a boyish voice.  
  
"Mother made." No lull, the discourse was taken exactly where the first one had left it.  
  
". you promise to."  
  
".watch over Daddy!" Galion watched, powerless, the twins. He feared their words would anger Jareth even more, at this point he wasn't sure Jareth wouldn't hurt them. But he didn't dare to interrupt them either: Jareth's attention was all focused on the twins as if their words had hit a soft spot.  
  
Jareth remembered. "Stop.." One of the twins was saying as he remembered Emerald tired and beautiful face, tainted with blood, strained with pain and her long, so long blond hair, spilled on the white pillow.  
  
".hurting him!"  
  
He remembered her last smile, her last words and her last wishes. For her children she would never see grow up, for her husband she would never age with, for the brother she had tried to make him feel as.  
  
Galion noticed a change in Jareth's eyes. His eyes would always give him away. The mad glint was gone, replaced by something Galion would have never thought to see there: uncertainty. "Kids." Jareth said, extending a hand slowly towards Calandra.  
  
But Calandra was scared. She was holding tightly on her brother's arms, almost hiding behind him. So when the familiar gloved hand was extended to her, she backed away, putting her brother before her again. And Nathan put his free arm before her, in a protective manner and said, almost yelled to Jareth. "Auntie Sarah."  
  
". is broken here." Calandra said, putting one of her little hand over her heart.  
  
Jareth's hand fell as he listened closely to the kids. "We both."  
  
".felt it. But, we." Jareth remembered a remark Galion had made about the children sensing something off in Sarah. He should have looked more closely to this, as he knew how sensible the twins were.  
  
". decided not to tell."  
  
". because we thought." Jareth's breathing was ragged and he stepped backwards, till his legs met the bed and sat heavily on it. He drew his legs under his chin and encircled them of his arms, head bent, listening closely.  
  
". it was the best this way." Calandra and Nathan stepped closer to Jareth, but not close enough for their Uncle to reach out for them. Galion also stood up and walked behind the twins. They were coming to the worse part, he needed to be close if Jareth lost control again.  
  
"Auntie Sarah fears."  
  
". someone will come."  
  
". and leave her."  
  
". unwanted." Jareth groaned on the bed and Galion could see Jareth's muscles tightened in anger. Or fear.  
  
"Because her own mother."  
  
". didn't want Auntie Sarah with her." Jareth snapped his head up and stared at the twins, eyes wide, unblinking. Just like an owl. Galion mused, suddenly.  
  
"We're not."  
  
". even sure Auntie."  
  
". Sarah knows about."  
  
". this. Auntie Sarah feels ."  
  
".Uncle Jar is dangerous." Jareth let go of the breath he had been retaining.  
  
". because he may."  
  
". make her see what."  
  
". she prefers to remain."  
  
". left alone." Jareth closed his eyes, trying to shut away the pain, make it dull again, to forget it. But it didn't work.  
  
He had to ask, he had to know. "How long do you know that?" Jareth asked, his voice hoarse and pained, his jaw tight, his eyes still closed and his fingers digging painfully in his flesh.  
  
"We've just."  
  
". realized it clearly."  
  
"But we knew."  
  
".something was wrong." Jareth opened his eyes and he slowly opened his fingers. He then straightened his back and crossed his legs Indian-style.  
  
Calandra tilted her head on the side, looking carefully at her uncle. "Uncle Jar..."  
  
". do you hear the."  
  
". Labyrinth?"  
  
" She says."  
  
". she's okay with it."  
  
". she's giving you."  
  
". her blessing."  
  
". to share your."  
  
". piece of Hell."  
  
". with Auntie Sarah." Nathan ended.  
  
"My piece of Hell?" Jareth stared at the twins. Calandra was still holding tightly on Nathan's arm and she was looking at him wearily. Jareth felt his heart tighten but he couldn't do anything about it.  
  
When Sarah had left him the first time, the twins had to be send over their grandfather, so they didn't witness the destroying way the Labyrinth and himself had behaved. Thinking of the Labyrinth woke in Jareth's soul the part and flame that was the Labyrinth.  
  
Oh, he knew, there were rumors going wild saying that he had shared his soul with the Labyrinth, which wasn't completely untrue that was why he had never denied them. It was just a part of the truth.  
  
The little flame twinkled gently at his reaching mind and whispered to him a little secret he hadn't been willing to hear before, too caught up in his own pain. "Yes, I can hear her now." Jareth smiled sadly. The Labyrinth had changed so much from before, before Sarah's first visit. He winked at Nathan who only blinked in return. "She has developed a wicked sense of humor, don't you think, little ones?"  
  
Nathan swallowed and blinked again. That was the Uncle Jar they knew and loved. Not the scaring one just minutes before. If it hadn't been for the persistent whispering at their ears, the twins knew they wouldn't have come any closer to Jareth's private rooms that any other servants in the castle. "We don't understand."  
  
". what she means." Calandra finally released Nathan's arm from her grip and tilted her head on the side, once more, curiosity was pushing her fear away.  
  
".by piece of Hell, Uncle Jar." Nathan ended, looking quizzically at Jareth.  
  
But Jareth smiled and looked up at the ceiling, as if his gaze could pierce through it and reaching Sarah. "But I do." He whispered, dropping his gaze back to the children, then with a last smile, he transformed into a barn owl while the closest window burst open. Jareth flapped his wings a little near Galion, bringing a sad smile to the older man's face, then flew away, towards the Aboveground and Sarah.  
  
..................  
  
AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! (insert insane laugh here) I'm back and ready for you guys!! A little Bit of Hell is coming to its conclusion! For those who want to bash me in outer space right now, please, don't. But, try to, instead to guess what piece of Hell the Labyrinth and Jareth are talking about!  
  
Anyway. Review time! Reviews are in the order that I read them. (going from Shannon to Solar) I'll try to do the others too!  
  
Hey, Shannon, thanks a lot for your enthusiastic review! (author ego flares up. Hell 009 pokes its head out of the fanfiction folder and glares. Author ego gets deflated as Hell 009 shows its only 5 lines.)  
  
Lythandae: I don't mind either (for Karen to be portrayed as completely evil) but you may say it's in my nature but I refused to believe a person is "all bad". So, here's my version of Karen.  
  
Chook: I almost threw my computer by my window. I was so frustrated! But, thanks god, I've invested too much money in it to completely lose my mind.  
  
Bunnie Babe: You're right. I should have included Hoggle more. But, I couldn't grab his character and his "role" was filled up by Calandra so I decided not to risk being OOC with him and kinda left him outside. BUT in my next story, I'll try to involve him more. I'm getting ideas!! (hin! Hin! What? Again that insane laugh?)  
  
Hope it was worth the wait, Sophie!  
  
Earth Goddess: Do like me! Save money to buy your own! (okay, it means no new clothes for half a year (if you're lucky and your birthday's close if not, a year and a half.) no cinema, no. well fun at all. But it's damn worth it! Now, my sister is always bugging my computer! Even my dad sometimes.)  
  
Redaura: THANKS FOR THE BRAIDED FINGERS AND TOES! (glomp on Redaura!)  
  
Zephyr: Man, you suffered the loss of your computer several times? I'll go mad.  
  
Megan: I'm sorry, I've never watched the movie and I don't think I will because I developed an idea of Jareth and Sarah that may be crushed down when watching the movie. I got hooked on Labyrinth by reading one of Cormack3032 stories (the debt, I believe) and one things leading to another I started writing my owns. Sorry, sorry.  
  
Serenity * blush * thanks, you don't know how much these kinds of review light up my day. I mean, it's so great to know that somebody else, someone you don't know actually loved and cared enough for something you created to post a review! * blush * it's a wonderful feeling!  
  
Ivy: hope you liked the new chapter. Did you have enough? (grin) Don't worry, it won't take me as long as it took me to write chapter 8 to get the 9th! Promise!  
  
Thanks a lot, Natalie. I spend a great deal of time looking around for these songs but most of them are French, I hope that the translations I made are accurate.  
  
Draedgon-fire: What do you think about this little bit? The next fix will come out soon, promise! (not tomorrow, of course but before the end of the next month)  
  
Solar: * HUGE BLUSH * thank you * HUGE BLUSH * (needs to fan her face. Is steam actually raising from her cheeks?) 


	9. Game Over

I forgot to write it in the chapter before and for that I bow in apologies: the song that was being played on the radio is a song from the Cowboy Bebop Movie. In this chapter, it is the same song, taking where I have left it.  
Belongs to its rightful owner.

…………………………………………………….

Chapter 9. Game over.

…………………………………………………….

Standards disclaimers apply.

…………………………………………………….

The owl flew lazily over the city. Nobody noticed it. The day was still warm as the sun was coming closer to the horizon. He didn't know how much time he had spent in that petrified state after Sarah's refusal but it had devoured half of the day. Sarah was certainly home by now. 

…………………………………………………….

Sarah sighed as Jareth disappeared in a flash of light. Her name on his lips had echoed in her heart causing more damages that she had thought it would. Sighing again, Sarah stood up, stretched her arms above her head and levering her bag to her shoulder again, she exited the park, without a last glance. 

She ran to the bus station just in time to catch one that led her back to the city, a few blocks only from her place. Lost in her thoughts, Sarah didn't pay attention to the people around her, nor did she see the people pointing at her, nor did she hear the whispered comments as she walked down the streets. Nor did she realize that she was crying. The tears were falling by themselves, alone, as if they had a mind of their own. 

…………………………………………………….

Sarah closed the door behind her and threw her bag on the couch. It was past noon but she wasn't hungry, she was weary. She was bone tired and all she wanted to do was to sleep. She walked to her bedroom and took off the jeans she was wearing, leaving them lying on the floor of her living room. She then slid under her covers and curled in a foetal position and fell in a deep slumber without dreams.

…………………………………………………….

She awoke at the feeling of being watched. Blinking she raised, leaning on an elbow, pushing her hair out of her eyes, and took a look around. The sun was stetting, judging by the fading light falling on her bed, so she had slept through the whole afternoon. But nobody was there. Shaking her head, she slumped back in bed, bringing the covers once more over her chin. She didn't know how long she slept again, or if she slept at all, but a caressing hand, smoothing her black locks surprised her and jerked her out of her bed. Jareth was standing at the head of the bed.

"Jareth!" Sarah screamed as she whirled around to face him. 

…………………………………………………….

Jareth's face cracked with a bitter smile, as Sarah stood on the over side of the bed, only in a shirt and panties, flustered. As for Sarah, she was ready to scream again as the trails of blood from Jareth's shirt came to view when he sat on the bed, and therefore, stepping in the fading light of the day. Crawling back on the bed, Sarah reached for him, hysteric. "Jareth! What happened? You're covered in blood!" 

As her hand was about to touch his chest, Jareth grasped it and brought it to his lips, making her blush. "Nothing happened." He answered. Then he smiled again and Sarah's heart started to beat widely. Why was he there? When he had yelled her name, earlier in the park, he had seemed so angry but now, sitting on her bed, he was frightening. 

…………………………………………………….

Yes, she was scared, scared of Jareth. Oh, he could hurt her physically, but Sarah wasn't scared of what he could do to her body. Rather, what he could do to her heart. Sarah's breathing became ragged as Jareth's lips touched her hand again, then he dropped a kiss in the interior of her wrist and raised his head to meet her eyes.

"Don't you think it's weird?" He started softly, leaning closer to her, his voice dropping slowly to a murmur. "I mean it usually takes people more than four days to decide if a relationship is worth it or not. We've been reunited for less than a week and we already made love, fought and I confessed." Sarah could only stare. She still hadn't convinced her heart of the sensible reasoning of her mind: Jareth was going to leave her once he was tired of her, just like everyone else and therefore, she felt like somebody had given her an anaesthesia. "When you're around, Sarah dear, life seems to speed up at least a thousand times. When you're not, my life is dull and meaningless." Sarah tried not to listen but Jareth didn't allow her to. He let her hand go and leaned on her, making her fall backwards in the bed, under him. She felt like someone else had taken over her body: her emotions were dull and her head felt like it was in a fog, dense enough to be cut with a knife. She felt like she was watching the scene rather than being an actress of it. "You don't want to be left alone and you don't believe when people swear to you they won't so you shut them away." He whispered in her ear. Now, she was sure: Jareth had cast a spell on her. "I won't and I'll make you see. Because for now, you'll have half of my private Hell."

…………………………………………………….

Jareth watched her as he spoke, he watched Sarah crawl back in the shell that he now knew existed, he watched her cover herself, he watched her climb up again in her ivory tower as he talked. He was sure she didn't understand what he was saying, words meant nothing to her anymore. Even though, she played with them in her books, in her life, words had no meaning nor place around her, as people had used them so much that they were much like a tissue ready to be torn apart by a careless wind. 

For the first time, he saw. He really saw and a thousand of little things came back to him: like in his study, the first time, they had almost made love. She had been so vibrant and eager but when he had stopped, she hadn't said a word, nor did she seem to mind if he stopped or not. Or like in his bed, after, she hadn't said a word on what had just happened. She was just there, not searching. And when they were in her room, she had been so shy to kiss him. He remembered widely the suddenly oddly trembling lips. He remembered her sudden cold eyes when she had talked to him in the park and the lack of interest she had displayed. Or now, how lifeless she felt to him.

But, there were times, when the shell wouldn't contain the old Sarah, the young one he had met, when they were by the waterfalls, on the grass, she had taken on the lead because she wanted too. Because her heart, if not her mind, wanted too. Now that he knew, now that he thought about it, he saw the experienced shell that she had put up over the years, the one she had polished till it was perfect, till nobody could see beneath, where her emotions were carefully kept in check. The twins had said she was afraid of what he could do to her: destroy her shell. If words couldn't convince her, actions would. 

His heart and mind set, Jareth leaned on her till he had her pinned under him and he released all the power he had been gathering without her noticing.

…………………………………………………….

            As soon as Sarah felt Jareth's weight rest on her, she started to tremble: his warmth was penetrating her and she didn't want that, nor did she want the soaring her heart suddenly took, despite her attempts to keep it in check. Jareth had always had that way with her: he was always disrupting her. First he had turned her world upside down, changing her views and perspectives on the world around her, he had pushed her till she couldn't bear it anymore, making her yell and clench her little fists. He had once again turned her world upside down as he destroyed, almost absentmindedly one of the constant, anchor of her life, denying the hate he was supposed to have against her. Hatred was safe. Love, as he was once again proving it to her, wasn't because for the third time, Jareth was destroying, toying with her universe with his words and deeds.

            That wasn't supposed to be that way. He was supposed to have her for a certain amount of time, and then threw her away. That was something she was used to, but what Jareth was doing to her, that was something she wasn't used to and that was scaring her.

Suddenly, Jareth's heat leveled up considerably and Sarah squirmed under him but he closed his strong arms around her and held her as they sank into the darkness.

They were falling backwards! The thought was plaguing her, she was screaming, that she knew, she could feel her throat starting to ache, the world was pitch dark around her, she couldn't even see her own limbs or Jareth. She could feel Jareth and his tight hold on her but that was all. And Sarah screamed.

…………………………………………………….

"Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" Someone was yelling her name and kissing her face. Her eyes fluttered opened and she found herself staring in a pair of mismatched eyes. How odd. She thought. 

Jareth smiled lightly when Sarah opened her eyes, she didn't seem to understand where she was. "Sarah." He called again, softly. This time, her eyes widened and her pupils focused instantly and she fought her way under him until she was sitting on her knees, in front of him. She was frantically looking around her, trying to figure out where she was. She was definitely in the Underground, but she had never been in that place before: grass under her, trees all around her it almost looked like she was in a prairie. Almost, as the "prairie" was surrounded by white walls. There even were some small hills, here and there and there was a little river running happily next to them. The walls seemed far away and extremely closed in the meantime, as she couldn't see any corners or turns. The walls were just there. Sarah looked up and was glad to find that there was no ceiling: a clear blue sky with soft white clouds lazily floating there reassured her. She almost smiled in relief. Even though, her surrounding brought her an idea of liberty and joy, the walls were restraining her, making her suffocate, and if not for the sky, she would have hyperventilate. Her heart was beating like a madman in her chest. 

Jareth smiled again as he watched the emotions being played on her face. In here, there was no place to hide. Unfortunately for her. Slowly, he reached for her chin, forcing her gently to look at him. "There is a ceiling, he said, amused as her eyes suddenly widened again and he kept on, it changes its appearance according to my moods." She was so beautiful, kneeling in the grass, dressed only in a white shirt, her long wild black hair around her and her infatuating long and slender cream legs. He was doing all this for her. Always and only for her. The one who said that the Goblin King wasn't generous was a fool.

Sarah looked up again and she watched the dark clouds coming, running, like a wave, overwhelming the soft white clouds. She heard the thunder roared and she saw the stars twinkling helplessly, trying to survive through invasion. She returned her gaze to him, as he forced her fingers to open and close around his silver pendant. "Jareth, I don't understand." 

"I love you." And Jareth collapsed against her. He was shivering like he had a strong fever and Sarah tried to embrace him but found that her right hand was firmly closed around the pendant. She couldn't let it go. Jareth's upper body fell against her knees and unconsciously, he reached to close his arms around her legs, begging for her warmth. The shivering intensified, scaring Sarah again. And it passed through her by the pendant.  

Something alien was coming up her arm, like a spider climbing slowly along her flesh. She wanted to scream but no sound came out of her lips. Then it descended to her legs by her chest, squeezing her heart, caressing her neck and this time, she managed to scream till she lost herself into oblivion.

…………………………………………………….

A soft murmur annoyed her ears, pulling her from the warm darkness where she was laying.   
Wake up, little one. It seemed to say. I will show you the truth.   
The truth? Sarah thought. Who needs it?   
You do, the stranger answered. You do. The person said again, sadly.   
I don't want it, Sarah said, trying to get back to sleep.   
Is that what you are going to do with the rest of your life, little one? Sleeping, leaving your hurts and scars healing without tending them? Sleeping over your aches and not minding them? Living or rather half-living in a dream state? The sadness in the tone was heartbreaking and Sarah turned her attention fully to the voice.  
Is it bad? Sarah asked.  
She could almost see a lazy smile coming to the lips of the owner of the voice. Male or female, Sarah didn't know. It would be better, if you let me show you the truth.  
Puzzled as the voice seemed oddly familiar and not, Sarah asked again. Who are you?  
I am the Labyrinth. Jareth is me. I am Jareth. Jareth is the Labyrinth.

…………………………………………………….

_Suddenly it occurred to me  
The reason for the run and hide  
Had totalled my existence_

Everything left on the other side  
Could never be much worse that this  
But could I go the distance

_I faced the door and all my shame  
Tearin' off each piece of chain  
Until they all were broken_

_But no matter how I tried  
The other side was locked so tight  
That door it wouldn't open_

_Gave it all that I got  
And started to knock  
Shouted for someone  
To open the lock  
I just gotta get through the door_

_And the more that I knocked  
The hotter I got  
The hotter I got  
The harder I'd knock  
I just gotta break through the door_

_Gotta knock a little harder  
Gotta knock a little harder  
Gotta knock a little harder  
Break through the door_

…………………………………………………….

            A small chapter, I know, but I hope intriguing. The next one would be the end of A little Bit of Hell. For an unknown reason, I'm feeling melancholic when I think that the next one would be the last. 

Ah, well, it's how it's supposed to be. See you around.

Mikim.


	10. This is how Legends begin

This is the last part! I'm going to cry! I'm so happy! (weird feeling, don't you think, feeling like weeping like a child and happier than never… Oh, well.) I want to thank you all, people, for all the kind reviews, for the enthusiastic ones, for the whining ones, for the joyful ones, for those who burst with energy! Thank you so much. 

This chapter is dedicated to Linds, Jen and Terrie. Thank you guys, you're really the best. 

Linds! stay the same! You're a GREAT beta! 

Jen! I love you! Thank you so much and you're also a wonderful beta! I hope I didn't disappoint you! 

Terrie! Writing this song with you was so much fun! Thanks again!

And for the others… Well, I wish I had arms big enough to hug you all!!!! Thank you, thank you!

Chapter 10. This is how Legends begin.

By mikim.

Standard disclaimers apply. Songs belong to their rightful authors. The first one Jareth sings here (not Terrie's though) is (again) a French song called Life's Whirlwind. 

…………………………………………………….

Sarah was still blind; she couldn't see nor feel where she was or who was there. Of her five senses, only hearing was remaining. She knew she wasn't falling or lying on a ground, rather like she was floating, somewhere. Again, the strange voice, both masculine and feminine, both known and unknown to her said   
I am the Labyrinth.  Jareth is I.  I am Jareth.  Jareth is the Labyrinth.

 What? Sarah's mind whirled. Whatever that creature was saying was incomprehensible: Jareth was the master of the Labyrinth, not the Labyrinth itself.  
Before going further, let us go somewhere else, the voice decided firmly. And suddenly, her four other senses came back quickly, like a tissue had been put on them and the wind had blown it away. 

…………………………………………………….

Sarah looked down at herself in surprise; she was still wearing her white wrinkled shirt she had slept in, her feet were bare and her long legs exposed to the view of anybody. But, somehow, she wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead she looked about her; she was standing on a cliff with the sea crashing on the rock wall. The sea was tormented and a storm was quickly coming closer from the sea. But the sun was still there, warming her exposed legs with its heat. 

Turning upon her heels, she saw a woman, her long black hair spread all around her like a blanket, dressed in a silver dress, sitting, her legs drawn behind her, calmly, looking out to the sea.

For an unknown reason, Sarah couldn't see her features, but it didn't upset her or frighten her. As if it were completely natural. "Where are we?" She asked the woman as she sat beside her on the grass.

The woman turned her head slightly towards Sarah and for a fleeting second, Sarah thought she saw a pair of mismatched eyes, just like Jareth's. "In a fitting place." The woman answered, turning fully towards Sarah, a smile Sarah couldn't see but knew it was there, on her thin lips.  
Puzzled, Sarah was taken aback. "What?" 

But the woman didn't acknowledge Sarah's confusion and asked the young mortal woman. "Have you ever wondered why the Goblin King has a pair of mismatched eyes?"  
Confused and not really knowing what she meant, Sarah could hardly speak. "What?" 

"Several times, child, I have heard you wish you knew more of Jareth's life and past. Even though you never said the words aloud, I have heard you as I share a special bond with you; since you are the only one who has ever defeated me." The odd woman said again. She then raised her right hand in a graceful movement and with a weird twist of her wrist a scene unfolded under Sarah's widened eyes. 

A tall man, with a simple silver band around his messy brown hair with a long golden sword attached to his left hip and a breastplate marked with a strange symbol, stepped out of nowhere. Sarah leaned forward to catch a better look at the strange symbol on the man's breastplate; she recognized the symbol.

"Who is that man?" She asked, eyes narrowing and focusing on the symbol. She knew what it was but couldn't place it; it was rather unnerving.

"Jareth's first ancestor," the woman said quietly and Sarah's head snapped in her direction, making the woman smile again. "And the first Goblin King." Sarah turned to look at the man again and this time she recognized the sign: it was the same form of Jareth's pendant. 

"But at first, he wasn't the king of the Goblins. He was called King of Kan Caera. Look closer to his face." The woman instructed Sarah and Sarah let her gaze wander up to his face: he had a friendly face, a squared chin and high brow, and on his lips there seemed to be lingering a knowing smile and his eyes were mismatched. One blue the other light brown, almost golden.

"He has mismatched eyes." Sarah breathed, surprised. 

…………………………………………………….

The strange woman at her side smiled again and looked at the man herself. "His name was Bran, the Undefeated King," she stated quietly and Sarah guessed by the tone of her voice that she and the man had been extremely closed and that she had suffered a great deal when he had died. "He appeared at a time when Fae and Mortals were still living together but the Fae were, are, magical beings. Unlike the Mortals, they did not turn their backs to the Ancients Ones and as a new religion was soaring, the Ancients Ones saw their ends coming closer."

"Therefore, they took their people, the Fae, and placed them on another land: the Underground. However, the Ancients Ones did not create a new land, instead they used their powers to split a dimension, in which this land was placed. Most of the Ancient Ones died of exhaustion and I was among them." Her voice quieted for a while, long enough for Sarah to wonder how painful these times had been for her. 

"But, as I lied down on the earth, ready to fall into an eternal sleep, a boy reached to me. He was Bran," she paused again and seemed to be filled with golden light. Sarah turned to the man, Bran, and looked at him. He was still standing there, his long flowing black cloak around his legs as he surveyed the raging sea as if it were his personal enemy he was ready to fight. His hard profile reminded her of Jareth suddenly and for a while, Sarah thought Jareth was standing there and not his ancestor. 

"I was one among the youngest of my people and I did not wish to die, yet. Bran was a young boy who had lost his parents during a raid on his village by humans. Alone and desperate, we clung to each other and we managed to survive, but as he was growing into a fine young man, it became obvious I would not see him turn into a grown man. So, he, without me knowing, asked the help of the Father of All-Ancient. And the Father, touched by Bran's pure heart and intention, granted his wish; he tied my soul to Bran's, and therefore, allowing me to survive. I started to live through Bran, but my body was not going to survive despite the rush of magic coming from Bran." Sarah looked at the woman closely. She was sure now: the woman had mismatched eyes too. 

"So I decided to bind myself to a land, this land. I became the soil and air, the trees and rivers, the grass and the rocks and Bran was my King. Other Ancients had already done so by linking themselves to a piece a land and extending their powers to it. And by feeding the land, thereby they fed upon it and they all chose their first King. But none was linked as I was to my King. Bran and I could still talk to each other; what he saw I could see, what he smelt I could smell, what he tasted I could taste." Sarah watched as the woman's face slowly appeared to her.  Her features were striking. If light wasn't dancing inside the vivid mismatched orbs, Sarah would have said her face had been sculpted by a talented Greek artist as in a myth.

"I don't understand." Sarah said truthfully.

The woman's eyes twinkled and she smiled gently. "Look at a coin: it has two sides but you cannot pull them apart" she said softly. "One side was Bran, and I the other." She pointed first at Bran, making Sarah turn to him to see that he had stepped closer to them, then to herself. "Some Ancients said I had lost my mind and fell for a man, but they were wrong. I was him and he was I." 

Sarah turned around sharply, as she felt someone there: it was Bran. He had knelt down next to Sarah, but wasn't paying attention to her. His eyes were focused on the strange woman and he held out a hand to her, a hand that the woman took and he squeezed her fingers gently, a smile lighting up his face, before fading away, like a sand castle washed away by the sea. "Without each other we couldn't live." 

Her hand slowly fell back to her side. It actually surprised Sarah that the woman wasn't crying. "Is it clearer now?" she asked, after an awkward silence with her head titled to the side, a beautiful smile on her sensuous lips.

Sarah swallowed hard and asked, despite herself, as she felt like she was intruding in precious memories, "What's the connection with the mismatched eyes?"  
"One, the brown one, is mine. The other, the blue one, is Bran's. This is my mark, the proof I still keep my oath."

Sarah blinked, interested despite her embarrassment. "What do you mean?"

…………………………………………………….

"Despite what you Mortals all think Fae do die of old age. It is just that their lives are longer than yours are as no being of flesh and blood can last forever in this realm. This is the only unbreakable law: that every creature of flesh and blood has to cross the Rivers once and only once," the woman paused and seemed to think for awhile, gathering her thoughts. 

She then started softly, "When the link was young I could still say I had an eye different than Bran's. But, as time flew by, and with each of Bran's descendants that came and went, my soul merged more and more with this land and with the heir till Jareth's direct grandfather." 

She stopped and another man came from her past, making Sarah take a sharp inhalation of breath. The man was the exact replica of Jareth only without the arrogance and the casual smirk he usually wore. His hair was less wild and he seemed thinner than Jareth, but the mouth and the set of his jaw as well as the twinkling eyes and the way he walked, proud and strong, all that was Jareth. 

"I was, before Jareth's grandfather, a magical being, an Ancient One. But Garath, Jareth's grandfather, was threatened to be overthrown by his cousin, and so, he and I decided to place on this land a trap where anybody with rebellious intentions toward the King could not leave."

Garath, Jareth's grandfather, sat down next to the woman that was the Labyrinth and placed a kiss on her cheek. The feeling from him wasn't the same Sarah had felt with Bran. This man, too, was loved and cared for, but rather like a son or favorite nephew. Sarah thought to herself that this former god had fallen in love with the young Fae who had been the first Goblin King. 

"This was how I became the Labyrinth. But I couldn't do it alone, and so Garath merged further in our link and since then I could not say anymore where Garath began and where I ended. It went even deeper with Garath's son and as you can imagine, it is now absolute with Jareth." Sarah's eyes widened and she found herself speechless. "That's why I told you that I am Jareth and Jareth is I." Garath, too, faded slowly like Bran had.

"But, Garath's cousin didn't he know about you?"

"No. No one knows about me. Only the heir knows as he is born with my presence within him."

"But I know you now." Sarah pointed out.

The odd woman remained silent for awhile; then sighed and said wearily as if it was something she couldn't say anything about. "Didn't Jareth tell you he was going to give you hell?"

"What do you mean?" Sarah choked. She didn't want it; she would refuse. It wasn't possible that Jareth had… Somehow, her heart started to pound loudly in her chest. 

"Child," the woman started softly, "as I became linked with Bran I was still an Ancient One, even though I was living within his Fae soul. I was linked to Bran, but Bran was not linked to me. It was a one-sided link, if you want. What do you think I became when I merged with Garath?" she asked.

"You became Fae?" Dread fell upon her. Had Jareth meant to trap her here with him?

"No. Not full Fae, but Garath did not stay full Fae either. If the other Fae knew about this, and what it implied, that Bran's descendants share their powers with an ancient one, they would eventually fear them. Do you know what happens when humans fear something?"

"We reject it. We destroy it... Oh, God!" Her hands flew to her mouth now that she could see the extent of his actions. He was a fool. 

"Exactly," the woman said firmly. "Fae are the same. If they knew about Jareth and our real condition, they would come and seek our destruction. This was why Garath never tried to convince his people, who had fled when the land transformed, to come back to his realm after the war. Only the Goblins had remained because they used to live in caves that weren't touched when the transformation occurred and they were not clever enough to grasp the truth." 

Sarah thought about what the woman had confessed to her. To summarize a little, she had his life, not only his but also the Labyrinth's too, in her hands. If she really wanted to hurt him all she would have to do was tell people about the secret and he'd be doomed. Jareth truly was a fool. What was his reason to give her his most vulnerable spot? How could he hand over her so casually his life? 

_I won't and I'll make you see, Jareth had told her._

Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind eye. A beautiful afternoon when such a sad story had been told and a careless comment had been spoken. "Hoggle told me Jareth shared his soul with the Labyrinth!" Sarah panicked and twisted her hands nervously. "They know!" she cried out, raising her eyes to the woman, meeting hers. The woman smiled fondly and reached for her hands. Her hands felt cool against Sarah's and her skin was smooth, while her perfume reminded Sarah of the rain.

"No, child, they do not," the woman said, reassuring Sarah. "Indeed, when Jareth lost you the first time he almost exposed us, but thankfully, raw emotions like love, hate, and despair are dangerous for Fae, and when they lose themselves in their sorrows or love, they can lose their control over their magic. It has already been witnessed before, but not in the intensity Jareth displayed, after all, Jareth is powerful. They all assumed it was because he had lost control, and therefore, created monsters without his realizing it." 

The woman paused and let the information sink in Sarah's brain. "But, in fact, the beasts were Jareth's emotions, not his creations, not a will of his magic, no, these monsters that had crept out of my walls were pure emotions." She released Sarah's hands and folded hers in her lap. The sun broke through the raging sky and caressed the two females. "His guilt, his love, his sadness of letting you go, the hurt of being rejected, and the fear… All this came to life in our breasts and for awhile we lost control and let them rule us." Sarah's heart was beating strongly against her ribcage as if it were trying to escape. Sarah swallowed hard. 

The woman's words were kind but Sarah knew there was more, as she could feel the madness, the fury and the desperation that had fallen on Jareth, and so, on the Labyrinth when she had left him. She just knew. Jareth was a fool because of her.

As if she was remembering a movie, Sarah caught glimpses of a male figure with fair hair huddled in a corner of a dark room with strange stairs screaming like a wounded beast. She saw him again, punching the walls until his hands bled. She felt the pain beyond the tears; she felt the anguish and above all the unrequited love. 

Sarah bent her head and blinked back the tears before asking softly, her voice breaking, "What did Jareth do to me? Why did he put his pendant in my hand?" Jareth did this because he loves me. He loves me. He can't leave me now. I am the fool.

Unknown to Sarah, the woman in front of her smiled gently. "The pendant was only a mean to focus his, our, soul onto you. It was just a physical link that passed to you." Sarah looked up afraid and the woman gestured around her. "Jareth is here and there. He is everywhere. He hears what you are saying. The land is already changing as you became one of us." Sarah raised her hands to her mouth, not believing what the woman was saying. 

Then, she felt a touch, like gloved fingers running down her back. The woman smiled and Sarah had to believe her. "With time you will see Jareth. In this place, I am the predominant one. You will learn to distinguish Jareth from me and me from Jareth, but not fully, as we do not know ourselves. Anyway, you are now a part of the Labyrinth as we are now a part of you."

Sarah looked up and snapped, "What?" 

The woman tilted her head on the side and said, thoughtfully, "Time for you to go, child." 

"I'm still human, aren't I?" Sarah insisted, getting on her knees taking the woman's hands in hers impulsively.

"No, child," the woman sighed, and freed her hands to raise them to Sarah's face, which cupped both her cheeks, locking her mismatched gaze with Sarah's. "You are neither a human nor a Fae nor an ancient one. We have also changed, Jareth and I." Sarah blinked as the woman let her face go. Sarah was about to talk again, but the woman raised a slender finger and put it against Sarah's lips. "No more questions, you have stayed here too long already, now return to your body. We are all exhausted, and for the rest you should talk to Jareth. Do not be afraid, when you will arouse you will feel my presence and Jareth's in the depths of your mind." 

Incredulously, Sarah's asked, "Will you feel me too?" 

"Yes, child. Go," the woman smiled one last time and then everything vanished.

…………………………………………………….

She had rings on every finger,   
Heaps of bracelets around her wrists,   
And then she sang with a voice   
Which, immediately, charmed me.

The voice was taunting and familiar. Warm and safe, she snuggled closer to the source of the warmth, next to her.

_She had eyes, eyes of opals  
Which fascinated me, which fascinated me  
Was there the oval of her pale face  
Of femme fatale which was fatal to me_

The song was soothing her skin, caressing her hair, kissing her lips and she smiled.

_We knew each other, we recognized each other  
We lost sight of each other, we lost sight of each other again  
We found each other, we warmed each other  
Then we broke up_

A warm sensation, pleasant and delightful, shifted gently in the darker corners of her mind.

_Each for one left  
In life's whirlwind  
I saw her a night, ouch, ouch, ouch  
It's already been some time_

She was becoming aware of her body again. Her mind was fully alert and awake and she thought clinically that the flesh could be restraining, and yet, so pleasurable in the meantime.

_In sound of banjoes, I recognized it  
That odd smile which had pleased me so much  
Her so fatal voice, her beautiful pale face  
Moved me more than ever_

The taunting voice drifted closer to her. Warm breath was blowing over her ear; something was tickling her nose.

_I got drunk listening to her  
Alcohol makes forget the time  
I woke up feeling  
Kisses on my burning brow_

A light caress of a cool hand ran down her cheek, and she still couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. 

_We knew each other, we recognized each other  
We lost sight of each other, we lost sight of each other again  
We found each other, we broke up  
In life's whirlwind_

The smell of the bed was familiar, too. Then she realized it was his bed.

_We kept on spinning  
Both of us intertwined  
Both of us intertwined  
Then we warmed each other up_

Slowly, she opened her eyes to gaze into those of a tired Goblin King. 

_Each for one left  
In life's whirlwind  
I saw her a night, oh, la, la  
She fell in my arms again_

Jareth moved closer to her bringing his arms around her petite frame, and pulled her closer till her nose was touching his pale flesh.

_When we've known each other  
When we've recognized each other  
Why lose sight of each other?  
Lose sight of each other again?_

He rested his cheek against her hair and she knew he had closed his eyes again, while singing softly in the room.

_When we've found each other  
When we've warmed each other  
Why breaking up?_

She realized she was still holding his pendant. He was bare foot and wore no gloves. His shirt was gone and the blood on his chest has been washed. His smell, full of magic and musk, with a taint of wet grass and cinnamon, made her nose tingle. 

She snuggled closer to him, while letting the pendant go and putting one of her arms around his slender waist, and the other slid under his neck.

_So, both of us, we've left  
In life's whirlwind  
We're keeping on spinning  
Both of us intertwined  
Both of us intertwined._

She kissed him lightly, a small chaste kiss on the lips and closed her eyes again in contentment. Jareth felt in the distance of his soul the sunrise and heard a woman laugh happily. 

An ivory tower was crumbling into dust.

…………………………………………………….

They were sitting in the middle of his bed. His back was against the wall, and his arms were closed around her frame as her face was buried in his neck, and her legs were drawn beside her, while he sat Indian-style with his legs around her. Sarah breathed in deeply as Jareth's smell overwhelmed her again. They had been silent and talking in the meantime. 

Talking to each others hearts without using words and she felt his emotions: the raging hope and the lurking fear when she had opened her eyes again. After her exhausting experience in the Labyrinth's real world, she had felt a burst of relief and joy when she had told him quietly, gently, softly, slowly, that she was willing to learn.

To learn from him and with him, and to learn how to trust without the fear of being rejected, and learning how to be really happy. They hadn't talked about how they would make their relationship work, or what they would tell  her parents or what they would do about her work. They hadn't spared a thought for the future; they were too busy enjoying the present feeling.

A thought suddenly popped into her mind and she looked up at him. "What's the Bog of Eternal Stench?" she asked curiously.

Jareth, who was humming under his breath, stopped and smiled fondly at Sarah, his mismatched eyes glinting with mischief. "Another of my ugly sides. The Labyrinth represents my soul, or rather should I say, since you know, our soul."

In awe, Sarah pulled away a little to see all of his face and in disbelief, she asked, "So, all the twists and strange stuff, and the cleaners and everything… It's you?"

Jareth laughed, as if remembering a private joke. "To some extent, yes," he admitted.

"Some extent?" Sarah raised an eyebrow and Jareth pulled her back against him because he was cold without her leaning on him fully.

"I…" He started, then seemed to think against it and resumed, "We're really powerful. Sometimes it just gets out of control and things just come to life in the Labyrinth."

"The Oubliette…" she whispered.

Jareth nodded against her head. "We all have some deeds we'd rather forget."

A sheepish smile lit up her features and she kissed his neck lightly before asking, "Where am I?"

"You've already seen that part," he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.

A flash passed in Sarah's mind and she saw a place with a small lake, which on the surface floated pink and purple flowers of the trees that surrounded the pond. "The pond?" Sarah asked, glee spreading on her face.

Jareth sighed and agreed, his voice muffled with emotion. "Secretive, charming, a place I love and cherish. Yes, it's you."

For a long time, they remained silent and Sarah let Jareth's emotions flow through her; she felt the peace, longing after ten years, and the love finally able to express itself and tears welled up in her eyes. "What have you done to me?" she whispered, shivering in his arms.

Jareth hugged her tighter and his hot breath against her neck exciting more shivers from her than calming them. "I wanted to show you I would never leave you," he said, "therefore, I placed my… no, our lives in your hands." He explained to her gently and he saw a flash of panic pass in her eyes and he had to smile. 

"Your link to my soul and the Labyrinth isn't as deep as you may think," he whispered gently, bringing his face up again, till his brow was against hers, and his eyes were locked with hers. The tears were still there, forgotten and not falling. "This is my private paradise and hell because if the imperial court happens to know the real connection between the Labyrinth and me, it's likely to believe they'd come and try to destroy us, because I truly have the power to take over the whole Underground. This is the consequence of my great-uncle's foolishness and I know I wouldn't be able to live without the Labyrinth, and she with me, but you could. And when I die you'll be free of me."

This time a tear, and only one, fell from her right eye. "What about me?" she asked in a small voice.

He moved nervously and sighed. "If you ever die, then I'll die the minute after."

"But…" Sarah started to say but Jareth cut her.

"This is how I want it to be," he said firmly, his tone showing her clearly he wouldn't hear anything else on that matter. "And she's agreed with me," he added as an afterthought.

"I can't live Aboveground anymore," Sarah suddenly acknowledged, and Jareth inwardly winced. That was the part he had feared.   
"Not as long as I live," he said, while trying to keep the pain and fear from his voice even though he knew it was useless. If she willed it to be so, then she could feel what he felt. His firm tone was just a diversion, but Sarah didn't see that it was just a play not to worry her, and her next question almost tore his heart. "What if I wanted to go Aboveground?"

This time, he couldn't keep the pain and fear out of his voice. "Sarah… Please, don't leave me…" he pleaded. 

_Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave_.

The words rang in her mind and she blurted them out without realizing that she had almost killed him, there, as it was obvious to her that it was what she had planned all along. "Would you come with me?" she asked, her head tilted to the side. She was surprised when he buried his head in the hollow of her neck, shivering.

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…" he admonished. "You frightened me quite a bit, there, dear." He let a laugh escape his lips and he raised his head to look at her. Her eyes were wide in surprise, but then they turned glassy for less than a second as she took a peek into his heart and understood. 

She brought her arms around him and hugged him as fiercely as he had. "I love you!" she exclaimed, trying to make him forget what she had almost done.

Jareth smiled and kissed her neck again. "I know." 

"You insufferable man!" Sarah backed away because she had wanted the same confession from him, but he of course, had to have it his way.

He shook his head at her sudden ire and opened his heart to her. "You know how I feel about you," he explained to her. Jareth didn't want to tell her. For him, those three words weren't enough to tell how he felt about her. They just weren't enough.

"Tell me," she insisted; her lips pushed together like a pouting child.

Jareth cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Do I have to?"

"Do we always have to fight?" Upset, Sarah tucked an offending lock of her hair behind her ear.

Jareth reached out and put her lock back where it was in the first place. "Are we fighting? I wasn't aware of it." Just to annoy her, a little teasing. 

"Jareth!" she cried out in annoyance as she tucked her hair behind her ear again, the same hair that Jareth hurried to put back how it was before.

"Yes, dear?" he asked, almost absent-mindedly.

Sarah huffed indignantly and crossed her arms under her breasts, a movement that brought Jareth's eyes to her chest. "Jareth…" she started, as he was busy staring.

"Hum?" he answered. But if he had paid more attention he would have detected immediately the suddenly serious and uneasy look on Sarah's face.

"I…" Sarah started, then thought against it and resuming again said, "I've heard about…" Sarah stopped and took a deep breath, and that was when Jareth sensed that something was wrong and he raised his eyes to meet hers as she said, "about Emerald."

Jareth blinked once, his face unreadable and he repeated the name, quietly. "Emerald." 

"Yes…" Sarah hastily looked away, biting her lower lip.

"And you wish to know more." 

Sarah felt panic rise in her breast and she waved her hands nervously in front of her. "If… If you don't want to I understand, I…" she said quickly but Jareth started to sing, cutting her off. 

_In a mystical land so far away,  
I'll tell you a tale that was true way back when   
As it is true to this day.  
  
It starts with two noble men and a fair lady   
All of them not knowing the part they would play.  
  
One of great power whose family she belonged,  
The other two bound by friendship and brotherhood.  
  
Family one says has such a great love  
But no one can see the pain it can hold  
  
Two men bounded by brotherhood but not by their blood.  
Not a care in the world as royalty was concerned   
Until thine lady was heard of.  
  
One in joyful bliss as just to gaze upon her,   
Her eyes stole his heart in that one look from her.  
The other in such pain from losing his queen   
She held all of his love o his dear sweet mother the queen   
  
The one would go on with his dark hair in the breeze   
Of her lovely looks and his thoughts were of these   
Her hair is that of such golden thread and eyes of the deepest green   
O one day I hope her to be my one and only true queen.   
  
The other looking on him with such distaste for love   
His long blond hair hanging over his face   
Hiding mismatched eyes and his cold embrace.   
  
As others looked on some running away some quaking in fear   
No one understood him surely they did not dare.   
They did not see his pain or the tears that he shed   
From losing the warmth of his heart from deep within.  
  
So they met, the three of them, on a glory night  
When the Lady was giving a festival,  
When the first was in awe,   
The second, in fury was.  
  
But the lady was wise and in love   
For she knew what in the fair one's heart was   
She knew the love that bounded him to his brother   
She knew the pain he tried to hide behind his blond hair  
  
They wanted to marry,  
They wanted to laugh and love  
They wanted to share eternity   
But that's not what life allowed them to have.  
  
The young brother with a bitter heart  
Watched, jealous, this woman come and steal  
What he thought as his and only his  
The attention of his older brother  
  
When he was harsh she was kind  
When he tried to make her cry, she'd hide her tears and laugh  
When he'd come unexpected she'd open her arms and let him in  
And so the time passed until men's foolishness caught their world_

_  
In turn they were to marry   
They did laugh and love   
But eternity would never come   
  
And so, one day the great war did come   
Galion thine brother and warlord was called upon   
To fight for the Underground and his one true love   
So he did leave but to make sure she was safe there only be one lone place   
  
With his brother she did stay   
Her looking on him and him backing away   
Until one day she stood at his face   
Only to ask him "but why?"   
Him losing his temper, yelling and being a disgrace   
  
She opened her eyes and saw the full truth  
The skies cracked with the greatest of sound   
Opening up letting their tears fall down   
Just like those on her porcelain cheeks running down  
 She turned and ran into the storm   
  
He followed and called on his brother for help and the two of them were gone  
When they did find her alone   
In tears she asked to be forgiven   
But the King said "there is no need"   
Only then did Galion know of the love the three of them held   
  
He would see them to marry ,  
To laugh and love   
But only longing and sorrow left to him   
all alone   
In the middle of the Labyrinth  
__  
S__he would bear two lovely children   
A boy and a girl   
Yet the doctors said she could carry no more   
The lady did not listen to their pleas   
And the third she kept in her own trust   
  
Until one day she was ill from a cold   
And the child would not keep in her hold   
Jareth was there and so was a nanny   
And she forbid him to call her husband from a far off land   
   
She made the King  promise to take care of the ones that she did love   
On a whisper and shedding a tear   
She said "with all of my heart I love you dear Galion"   
Then to their dismay so softly she slipped far off and away   
  
In the front of King Obsidian's court   
Did Jareth stand at the King's command   
The Terran King, bitter and angry, asked slyly  
If her husband knew of this tale   
Even in the greatest men, lay the deadly seed of revenge  
  
But before he could answer  
Galion stated like a command   
"We are closer then brothers he and I we each share half a soul until the day that we may die"   
The King then smiled and turned to his court   
With a voice that boomed off the great walls he said  
  
"Remember lady Emerald the beauty she did hold not only in body and heart   
But through her whole soul"   
Only then did Jareth speak  "That would be nice "   
With a bow and a turn he was gone   
Left only with love not gained but not forgotten   
_  
A_nd this is my tale   
The fate of only three   
Galion, Jareth, lady Emerald above   
The three of them knowing the greatest   
That is...Love  
  
_

In the eerie silence that followed, Sarah couldn't tear her eyes from Jareth's face. His eyes clouded with memories and his heart heavy with regret, he finally looked down at her and a question escaped her lips before she could stop it. "Who wrote this song, Jareth?" She whispered quickly and his eyes widened so lightly before he lifted her so that he had his head against her breasts, his arms closed around her waist, using her like a pillow.

Yawning, Jareth finally whispered back. "I did." A smile crept on his lips and he raised his eyes to meet her. "Obsidian apologized, for the summon. And the words came by themselves, urging me to put them down." He shrugged and rested his head against her again.

"Jareth…" Sarah ran her hand in his hair, waiting for him to tell her more.

And his muffled voice came again, his head buried in her shirt. "Emerald is the first woman I learned to love." He breathed in her scent deeply, tickling her doing so. He smiled and looked up. "Some say the second one is always sweeter." 

A blush warmed her cheeks, and if she had any more doubts, they got bashed away when Jareth let his emotions flow in her. Jareth chuckled, as she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "Oh, Jareth." Sarah couldn't say more and she bent her head, kissing him lightly on the brow. Teasing, she asked him. "Will you write a song for us?"

"Us…" The word fell on his lips, and he savored it, his eyes closed, like honey on his tongue. "I don't know. Maybe." 

…………………………………………………….

Later, much later, when Jareth finally convinced himself to release Sarah from his arms, he decided to take a look at the changes his lands and the Labyrinth had. He was standing, his arms crossed over his broad bare chest as he hadn't thought of taking a new shirt, in his study. The night was fading away and he hadn't seen any real changes in the Labyrinth so far but he'd have to fly over his lands to make sure. 

A familiar voice surprised him but Jareth cancelled his shock and didn't even bother to turn around. "Does she finally trust you?" Galion asked as he walked closer, to lean on the wall, on the right of the window Jareth was staring through. He knew he had surprised his brother again at his sudden stiffened back but then Jareth had relaxed again and his shoulders fell.

A quick smirk lit up his face as he answered. "She's learning." He had always wished, in the secret of his heart, to tell Galion about the real nature of the Labyrinth but he had never built up enough courage to. How ironic. Galion was the closest to brother that he could ever have but he couldn't be closer because of the secret he kept. Secret he had so willingly and almost thoughtlessly cast away for Sarah. 

"Care to elaborate?" Galion growled. He was in a bad mood. 

He had been the one to feel when Jareth had pulled Sarah back to the Underground and he had been the one to find them: curled in the garden, Jareth's breathing raged, his lips turning blue, sweating like he had a fever and his eyes tightly shut while Sarah… When Galion had taken a look at Sarah, he had felt his blood run cold in his veins for she had her eyes open. She was staring at something, somewhere, wherever she was, giving her usually vivid iris a glassy and frightening look and she was hardly breathing at all. 

For a moment, Galion had thought she had died. But then, something happened and Sarah twitched as if someone had closed his fist around her heart. As he couldn't stand the sight of his brother and his lady like that, Galion had gathered them in his arms with difficulty and vanished for Jareth's room where, with the help of his magic, he laid them on the bed. He had tried to pull them apart to see if Jareth truly had a fever but whenever he was trying to pull Sarah away, Jareth would moan like a wounded beast, so Galion only had taken the bloodied shirt off Jareth's shoulders, washed his little brother, pulled off his boots and covered the couple with the blanket. 

Then, as if he could suddenly feel the hundreds of his years falling like rocks on his shoulders, Galion had fallen on his knees, burying his face in his hands, praying the Ancient Ones to spare Jareth and Sarah. He didn't know what had happened to them. The thought of an attack had crossed his mind but the Labyrinth would have never allowed it. That he knew. 

He had witnessed, countless of times, the Labyrinth's spirit come and protect Jareth during the wars they had faced together but when asked upon that matter, Jareth would only smile and say nothing. But, even knowing that the Labyrinth's spirit would protect him, Galion couldn't help worrying. Until Calandra crying and Nathan fighting his own tears away came to him, begging him to tell them a story because they were having nightmares. 

So, as soon as he had felt magic, Jareth's touch, nonetheless, leaving the King's bedroom to his study, Galion had freed his entangled limbs from Calandra's and Nathan's grip to talk to Jareth. He needed answers. 

Jareth pondered for a while, not looking at his brother. He watched the coming light, coming closer to kiss the top of the farthest mountains gently, announcing the beginning of a new day.  "I gave her the power to share my emotions, so that, she can see for herself that I love her and I don't want her to leave me ever." A smile welcomed the light. A new day, indeed, and a new life, with Sarah. He thought.

Galion growled again and he grumpily said. "You're not telling me everything."

"Aye, brother." Jareth finally turned to meet Galion's eyes. "There are things I'm not going to tell you."

Clenching his jaw, Galion suddenly asked, pushing himself off the wall, he leaned on Jareth, trying to see the depths of his mismatched eyes. Jareth's eyes would always give him away. "What is the Labyrinth?" Galion could swear he saw a flame of what he identified of guilt flashed and disappear in Jareth's eyes but his little brother only smirked back.

"The Labyrinth? I thought the name was self-explanatory. You know, it's a twisted place, just like a soul or a loving heart." Jareth waved his hands in front of him, waving his brother's suspicious question away.

But, Galion didn't let Jareth and his vague answers go away, this time and he pressed on, upset. "How long are you going to avoid my questions? Calandra was crying last night and when I coaxed her into talking she said she had had a nightmare. She kept seeing Bran getting killed by his traitorous generals. Who the hell is that Bran? And don't tell me it's Bran, the Undefeated King, or else I'll crush you!" 

Jareth chuckled and answered. "Well, we both know the legend on the first Goblin King."

"Jareth!" Galion roared, he was growing tired of Jareth's little game. Oh, he knew what his brother was doing, he was back to his annoying charming little self and wasn't going to let go so easily a way to annoy him. "What did the Labyrinth do to my kids?" Galion locked his eyes with Jareth's and he felt all his tension and worries get washed away. 

A gentle flame was burning in Jareth's eyes and sighing, Galion knew he wasn't going to have answers nor did he have to worry about the Labyrinth anymore, Jareth would never let anything hurt his children. Never. So, when Jareth said, grinning like a devil, Galion didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"Well, I really don't know brother, why don't you ask the Labyrinth yourself?" 

Galion disappeared back to his children's room, where he laid upon the bed, trying to find a way to make Jareth pay back. Oh, nothing too serious… Maybe telling Sarah one or two of Jareth's so embarrassing childhood stories… Yes, that would be fun and that would teach his brother to try to play rougher than him… Life was going to be really funny with Sarah around…

…………………………………………………….

_Tell me exactly what I am supposed to do.  
Now that I have allowed you to beat me  
Do you think that we could play another game?  
Maybe I could win this time…  
  
I kind of like the misery you put me through.  
Darlin' you can trust me completely,  
If you even try to look the other way,  
I think I could kill this time.  
  
It doesn't really seem I'm getting through to you.  
Though I see you weeping so sweetly.  
I think that you might have to take another taste  
A little bit of Hell this time…_

…………………………………………………….

A tall man with long and fair, almost white hair, strolled in the royal library. He was walking proudly, his high-knee black boots shining in the fading daylight, his strides long and powerful and his mismatched gaze wandering from left to right, looking for someone. "Sarah?" He called, his powerful voice bouncing on the walls. To say that the library was big was an understatement. It had rows and rows of books, with several little places with chairs and coffee tables, to let the wanderers relax in this huge place. Sarah had joked that she had a tougher time to find her way through the library than the Labyrinth.

"Yes?" Her voice resonated far away.

Jareth smiled and shook his head as he stopped where he was and asked again, "Where are you?"

"Section 19!" She yelled back and Jareth sighed.

"Again?" He sighed again, as he made his way towards her. "What's so interesting in the Labyrinth's History?" He found her cuddled in a high red chair, a smug smile on her features, several books around her. Jareth was ready to bet his whole Kingdom she had been reading the whole day. Again. "This stuff is all boring." He complained as he neared her, bending to drop a kiss on her hair. 

Sarah laughed. He had rolled his eyes several times at her obsession with the Underground History and Bran's time. "That's because you're used to it and you grew up with teachers trying to get it in your thick skull." She moved in the chair so that he could sit next to her. Or rather, so that she could sit on his lap as her swollen stomach no longer allowed the two of them the ability to sit wrapped in each others arms in the same chair.

"All right, you're no longer allowed to talk with Celia about my childhood." He pouted, closing his arms around her shoulders.

Sarah giggled and at his mortified expression, she confirmed what he had feared the giggles meant. "It wasn't Celia."

"Galion?" He asked but he knew who had told her, again, stories about his childhood. Really, if he didn't know her better, he would have thought she enjoyed embarrassing him. Well, she had changed since Sarah's arrival. 

"Nope." Sarah said with self-confidence. "She told me how you'd convinced your teachers to sneak out of classes." She giggled again.

Jareth let go of a dramatic sigh. "I wish she hadn't."

Sarah could hardly repress her laugh. "You were quite inventive."

"Sarah…" 

"Telling your history teacher that you had a sword lesson, and then convincing your sword master that you had a political lecture, and then telling your political teacher you had a make-up lesson with your history teacher because he had been ill the week before, therefore, all your teachers thought you were with another one, while you were playing with Galion in the Labyrinth. Really." She admonished, trying, but failing, to sound serious.

Jareth laughed then, remembering that fateful day and he asked her almost dryly. "Yeah, and did she tell you that my history teacher ran into my political teacher and when they saw each other they ran to my old sword master, and when the three of them looked at each other, they realized I had been pulling their legs. Did she tell you what they did?"

"They went to get you?" Sarah laughed again and hugged him.

"Worse, they called upon my father. I was locked up in my room for a whole week and everyday teachers would come, making sure I was studying." Jareth shivered at the souvenir. Sarah had learned that Jareth never really liked to stay in the same room for long. He preferred being outside. 

She smiled gently down on him when someone decided to let itself known. "Oh!" Sarah jumped in surprised more than hurt as her hands fluttered to her belly.

Alarmed, Jareth pressed his hands over hers, sending her his warmth. "What?" 

Sarah leaned on him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Little one here wants to say hello to his daddy."

Jareth ran a gloved hand over her. "I could look and tell you if it's a boy or a girl." He pointed out.

As expected, Sarah looked up at him and glared, covering her belly with her hands, as if she wanted to hide the baby. "NO!" She said firmly, her lips pushed in a pout.

Jareth rolled his eyes and smiled. "Very well…"

"I want a little Jareth." Sarah said suddenly, after settling against Jareth again.

"What?" 

"A little boy who will look just like you…" Sarah reached for his pendant and started to play with it. "I'll turn insane before he's five, but…" She looked up and smiled again. 

"What if I wanted a princess looking just like you?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.

Sarah tapped him gently on the nose. "Don't lie, I know you want a son you could teach all those pranks you and Galion are preparing."

"Dear, you wound me. How low do you think I am?" Jareth tried to look as innocent as the day he was born but Sarah didn't buy it.

"Nathan heard you, Jareth." She pointed out, poking him on the chest. "He heard you and Galion planning what pranks and jokes you'd make our son do to the old members of the Imperial Court." She narrowed her eyes.

Jareth laughed and tried to make her see things his way. "Ah, come on! It'll be fun!"

"You're hopeless." This time, it was Sarah who rolled her eyes heavenward in a way that was always driving him crazy. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm not expecting one but two children." She said, but he almost didn't pay attention, whenever she was doing that with her eyes, he was feeling a pull towards her, a strong pull to kiss her.

"Me? A child?" He leaned on her, bringing his lips closer to hers, without touching them.

"Yes, you mister!" She smiled, knowing what he was up to.

"Well, that's something I should remedy immediately…" He trailed and a loud, slamming noise was heard, scaring Sarah out of her mind.

"Jareth!" She turned in the direction of the noise, asking. "What was that?"

Jareth took the opportunity to trail hot kisses down her exposed neck. "I've just locked the doors." He smiled when he heard his lady take a sharp inhale of air.

"And what for?" She asked, turning to him again, her arms coming around his neck, her fingers either playing in his hair, either caressing the smooth skin of his cheek.

"You really can't think of any reasons why I would want a moment with only you, my dear?" He asked her huskily, his own hands wandering down her figure. 

"Nope. Please, enlighten me."

"That would be my pleasure…" He purred a second before claiming her lips.

When Sarah finally broke the steamy kiss, she whispered. "I love you."

"I know." Jareth answered against her throat. His hands had pulled her skirt up her thighs and he was teasing her, tracing circles on her excited flesh. He was planning on going further when she slapped his hands away, making him look up, confused. "What?" 

Sarah was glaring, her arms crossed, frowning at him. "You've only told me once." She pouted. 

"Told you what?" Jareth was really confused.

Sarah gritted her teeth but pushed through. "Those three magical words you keep on demanding from me, while you've only told me once."

Jareth smiled. "But, you remember them, don't you?" He asked, looking in her eyes.

"Of course!" She exclaimed.

Jareth shrugged. "Then, what's the matter?" He asked, leaning on her again, willing to resume their little kiss. With the baby and all, they couldn't do much but Jareth was rather willing to do anything than nothing at all.

"Jareth! It's not fair!" Sarah cried out. She wanted to keep on until Jareth gave in, but he surprised her by swallowing her outburst with a kiss.

"I won't tell you them again, Sarah." He said quickly, whispering against her lips. "Because they hardly express what I really feel about you…" He concluded with a kiss again, deepening it when she allowed his in.

"Stupid." She managed to say when he went back to her throat.

Almost like in a conversational manner, Jareth suddenly told her. "By the way, Jeremiah called and said there was a part you should rework." He nibbled on her pulse point, which quickened under his ministrations.

"Which?" She breathed. Jareth's hands resumed their circles games on her thighs and Sarah whimpered each time his thumbs touched her. 

He brought her closer to his arousal, saying. "The one when the heroine faces her soul."

"Oh…" Jareth didn't know if she was surprised of her publisher demand or on the state he was in.

"He said it lacks a little in intensity." Jareth trailed open mouth kisses down her throat, until the rim of her dress stopped him from going further. Groaning at the material barrier, Jareth pulled on the dress with his teeth, saying. "He proposed to focus more on the Soul Woman the heroine meets."

Sarah had arched her neck to let him have a greater access, her eyes closed, as she was focused on following his maddening lips on her. "Hum, I'll think about that." She whispered. Finally, probably fed up with the clothing in his way, one of Jareth's hand let go of her legs to reach the buttons of her dress on her back.

"Where are you by the way?" He asked, pushing her left sleeve down. "Have you finished the next chapter?" His mouth quickly replaced his hand and he worked his way down her breast.

"Yes, I've finished it this morning." She buried her hands in his hair, bringing his lips closer, urging him to continue.

Jareth obliged by slipping her right sleeve down her arm. "Is the heroine's ivory tower down now?"

Sarah opened her eyes and cupped his face, making him look up and met his eyes. "Yes." She then leaned forward and kissed him gently.

.End.


End file.
